The Indian cricket team is all set to take on New Zealand in the last and final T20I match of the ongoing series. After losing the opening game, India bounced back in the second T20I to level the series, registering a narrow six-wicket win. The 3rd T20I match will be played tonight (on Wednesday) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Ahead of the 3rd T20I match, former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer has backed Yuzvendra Chahal to retain his place. Yuzvendra Chahal was brought in the playing XI in the second T20I match, where he bowled two overs in the low-scoring contest and claimed the wicket of Finn Allen.
Wasim Jaffer also talked about the young star Umran Malik. Ever since his debut in June 2022, Umran has appeared in 6 T20Is and has also played 7 ODIs for team India. In his short career so far, he has already made a big name for himself. The former Indian opener made a bold remark as he admitted that the Jammu and Kashmir star struggles in T20 cricket. He said:
“It would be better to have Yuzvendra Chahal as New Zealand struggle against spinners and if there is a wrist-spinner, India must utilize it. As I mentioned previously, Umran Malik struggles in T20 cricket. He is yet to learn the variations needed to succeed in this format. So, in that way, Chahal is a better option,”
Further, Jaffer feels that the Indian team management can replace Shubman Gill with Prithvi Shaw for the 3rd T20I against the Kiwis. Prithvi Shaw didn’t get the opportunity to play in the first two T20Is of the ongoing series. He is expected to play in the 3rd T20I tonight. Jaffer said:
“If India consider a change, maybe Prithvi Shaw could come in for Shubman Gill because he is in a good form and is better suited for T20 cricket. But otherwise, I’m not concerned a lot about Ishan Kishan and Rahul Tripathi,” Jaffer added.
