'He's like a Bumrah or Chahal at his peak': Manjrekar picks India's 'second spinner' to partner Jadeja in T20 World Cup

With India's T20 World Cup squad yet to be announced, there has been plenty of competition for places in IPL 2024. This year, the franchise league is like a platform for T20 World Cup selection, taking place just before the ICC showpiece event.

On Wednesday, Kuldeep Yadav once again reminded selectors not to forget about him when announcing the T20 World Cup squad. The spinner was part of the ODI World Cup last year and has been impressive in IPL 2024. But he also receives competition from Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. Of these five players, Jadeja is a certainty for selection due to his match-winning skills with both bat and ball. Meanwhile, the spinner slot in the playing XI is up for grabs.

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Against GT, Kuldeep returned with figures of 2/29 as DC won by four runs. His impact was enormous as he took Wriddhiman Saha's and Rahul Tewatia's key wickets.

Hailing the spinner, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar felt that he deserved the T20 World Cup selection and that he should be India's second spinner, with Jadeja. Speaking on Star Sports, he said, "Yes. And this is perhaps Kuldeep Yadav at his peak with regards to his skills, his confidence. You can see now he's out there like a Bumrah or Chahal at his peak. He is commanding that kind of respect. He looks comfortable with the responsibility and champions, you know, those breaks and those moments that you are seeking at the right time."

"Last over today, DC wanted a wicket. They got the wicket of Tewatia there and just seized the game. So this is where Kuldeep has now become a champion bowler and he is somebody I mean that we should pencil down. Ravindra Jadeja will come in as a left-arm spinner batter and Kuldeep the second spinner," he added.

Kuldeep climbed to fourth spot with 12 dismissals in the Purple Cap race but is behind RR's Chahal, who has 13 wickets. With the tournament in its second half, the competition is expected to get more intense, with two objectives in mind: T20 World Cup selection and IPL glory.