T20 World Cup 2024: Should India play KulCha together?

India have picked five specialist bowlers and four all-rounders in their 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. The inaugural champions have Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Siraj as the specialist pacers in the side. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube can also chip in with their medium-pace bowling. The former is expected to be in the starting XI but Dube might have to wait for his chances. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are the frontline spinners in the side and Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel have been named as the spin-bowling all-rounders.

India have a lot of variety in their bowling attack and captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid would have their task cut out as they look to choose the best playing XI based on the conditions on offer and the opposition they come up against. The form of the players is also going to be crucial.

Can KulCha play together?

Kuldeep and Chahal, fondly called 'KulCha', were a force to be reckoned with when they played together under Virat Kohli's leadership. However, in recent times, India have preferred having only one wrist spinner in the playing XI and adding more batting depth by keeping either Jadeja or Axar in the side.

Spinners are expected to play a pivotal role in the pitches in the Caribbean and the USA. Having Kuldeep and Chahal together in the side could allow Rohit to go for wickets through the middle overs and put the opposition under pressure. The batting will be a bit compromised but stats will show that it is a risk worth taking.

The two diminutive wrist spinners have bowled together in 15 T20I innings for India and picked up 52 wickets at an impressive average of 15.64 and a noteworthy strike rate of 12.69. They have a combined economy rate of just 7.39 in the 15 innings. These records are quite remarkable and will be on the minds of the team management before they select their playing XI.

What could be the ideal seam-bowling combination?

If India can trust Hardik to bowl four overs in every match, they can keep two seamers and two wrist spinners in their playing XI and field six batters. However, the Baroda all-rounder wasn't in great form with the ball in IPL 2024, as he picked up only 11 wickets from 14 matches and conceded runs at an economy rate of 10.75 per over.

If India want Hardik to play as the sixth bowler, they can play all three seamers, one wrist spinner, and either Jadeja or Axar. If the pitch is conducive for the spinners, India can also play both their wrist spinners and three seamers. However, this will reduce their batting depth substantially.

Bumrah is a certainty in the playing XI. If India play with only two seamers, Siraj could get the nod over Arshdeep because of his experience. However, the right-arm pacer wasn't in great form during IPL 2024. If the Hyderabad seamer fails to produce the goods, the left-arm variety of Arshdeep can be brought in.