Australia legend goes on ‘captainship’ rant and names two players India should have picked

While India have done a decent job of keeping the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series 1-1 after three Tests, former Australia captain Allan Border, one of the men the series is named after, was unimpressed with one particular aspect. Indian team selection. Border expressed surprise that India did not take a spinner like Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal along with the series. Border criticized the way modern captains use spinners, stating that ” Shane Warne doesn’t come every day.”

“I’m surprised India didn’t bring Yuzvendra Chahal or Kuldeep Yadav. It is difficult to develop a spinner. Shane Warne doesn’t appear every day. I don’t think captains use spinners very well.” Border said in an interview with the publication Times of India.

“They (captains) want leg spinners to be like Warne, but captains are very defensive,” Border further said. “They need to understand that a young spinner will take time to develop. You need to give him protection. You have to have captaincy to get the best out of the leggie,” Border added.

It is worth noting that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) granted leave to Kuldeep Yadav to treat a recurring groin problem while Yuzvendra Chahal never played a Test match.

India had to deal with their spinner issues on their own. India used three different players – Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja And Ravichandran Ashwin – as their only spinner in three Tests. To compound the problem, Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket midway through the series.

The fourth Test in Melbourne starting on Boxing Day and the final Test in Sydney could reveal the surfaces on which India will work with two spinners, in which case both Sundar and Jadeja will be involved.