Ajinkya Rahane says there can be a toss-up between Rinku and Kuldeep in India’s T20 World Cup playing XI

India’s veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane feels there can be an arm-wrestle between Rinku Singh and Kuldeep Yadav for a spot in India’s T20 World Cup playing XI. Rahane said the combination will depend on the pitch, the opposition, the situation, and the conditions.

While Rinku Singh can add the finishing touches, Yadav is a wicket-taker in the middle overs for India. If the pitch would be spin-friendly, India can back Kuldeep Yadav as the second spinner as Varun Chakravarthy will be India’s first-choice spinner.

Ajinkya Rahane said on his YouTube Channel, “One more option for me is Kuldeep Yadav. Again, as I said about Rinku, it depends on the situation, the conditions, and which team you are playing against. So there can be a toss-up between Rinku and Kuldeep, depending on the pitch, the opposition, the situation, and the conditions in which you are playing. If Rinku does not play, then in my opinion, Kuldeep should play.”

“Again, he is a match-winner and a wicket-taker. He can bowl in the middle overs and in the death overs as well. Kuldeep has that ability to bowl fearlessly. Even if a batsman takes him on, he will still go and flight the ball. I think he is never afraid of being hit, but he is always looking to take wickets. And in the T20 format, that is exactly what you need from your bowlers. When you take wickets, your chances of winning matches increase,” he added.

Yadav has scalped 90 wickets in 50 T20I matches at an average of 13.18 and an impressive economy rate of 6.82. 

Rahane, the former Indian Test skipper, added that Varun Chakravarthy should play all the matches in the T20I showpiece. 

“Varun Chakaravarthy, again, is a no-brainer. His form in the T20 format has been excellent. The match-winning bowling he has produced whenever he has been given opportunities has been outstanding. I think having a bowler like Varun is very important because the opposition often cannot read him. When Varun is bowling, the batsman’s mindset becomes about taking on some other bowler, and that is where your chances of taking wickets increase.”

India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA on February 7.