IND vs NZ | Yuzvendra Chahal deserves chance with the form that he is in, says Robin Uthappa

11/19/2021

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Robin Uthappa feels that Yuzvendra Chahal deserves a chance with his form but also mentioned that it would be unfair on Axar Patel to bench him after just one fixture ahead of the second T20I against New Zealand. India will play New Zealand in Ranchi and will hope to seal a series win.

In the first bilateral series after the recently concluded T20 World Cup, India started their campaign on a winning note. The team won the first T20I against New Zealand on November 17 by five wickets. One of the notable exclusions in the match was Yuzvendra Chahal who was given a place in the T20 team for the series after leaving out from T20 World Cup. Chahal missed out on the World Cup squad due to his poor performance in the first leg of IPL where he picked only four wickets in seven matches. However, he was impressive in the second leg taking 14 wickets in eight matches at an economy of 8.26.

In the second T20I, Axar Patel was playing in the team along with Ravichandran Ashwin. Batting first New Zealand managed a total of 164/6. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ashwin picked a couple of wickets each. Axar leaked 31 runs in four overs and was unable to pick a wicket. India chased the target with five wickets and two balls to spare.

Robin Uthappa feels that Chahal deserves a chance in the playing 11 but also mentioned that it would be unfair for Axar to leave him out of the squad after just one match.

"Yes, he deserves a chance with the form that he is in. But having said that, it would be unfair on someone like Axar Patel to miss out on a game. So I guess, Axar will play one more game before Yuzi gets an opportunity. Yes but he will stick around in the side and we will see him play a lot more cricket in the future," he said, according to ESPNCricinfo.

Former New Zealand cricketer Daniel Vettori has also praised Chahal and said that he will be a good option for India in the second T20I.

"Yes, he compliments everything India try to do in a T20I game and Rohit should use him as an attacking weapon. I think it will be a really good option for India," he opined.

India will play the second match of the three-match T20I series on November 19 at JSCA International Stadium Complex at Ranchi.