Stephen Fleming on India’s spin combination in the Super 8: “Kuldeep may come in to provide that extra bit of wicket-taking flair.”

As the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 enters the pivotal Super Eight round, all eyes are focused on how the Indian team will counter the other giants. Regarding India’s spin bowling possibilities, former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming has weighed in, highlighting the significance of selecting the appropriate combination to suit the Caribbean’s conditions.

With their victory over Group A, the Men in Blue secured a spot in the Super Eight alongside the United States. They are presently in the same category as Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Australia. Fleming thinks that India’s much sought-after spin attack could be their most potent weapon, with pitches in the West Indies predicted to aid spinners.

“Yes, I believe that, but they still have the chance to do both, which is beneficial, and horses for courses—you can’t be so committed to one style of play that you lose out on opportunities to capitalise on circumstances as you mention, but yeah,” Fleming stated in an exclusive interview with the “ESPNCricinfo Timeout show.”

Perhaps Kuldeep could enter at this point. Stephen Fleming

If the conditions give significant turn, wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav might enter the playing XI to add some flare to collecting wickets, according to the former New Zealand cricket player.

“I would think maybe Kuldeep would come in to provide that extra bit of wicket-taking flair if the wickets do provide the turn as they get a little bit more used and you get closer to the end of the tournament,” Fleming stated.

Balancing the spin options of Kuldeep, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel is India’s problem. The speed assault is weakened when four spinners are used, despite the fact that it is a daring strategy that may limit run-scoring. Regarding Jadeja and Axar, two left-arm spinning all-rounders who could be fielded, Fleming provided a realistic assessment.

“I don’t think so, sometimes it’s hard to manage two players to do the same thing, Mitchell Santner and Ravindra Jadeja sort of do the same role for us in CSK and we sometimes find it hard around the selection to get eight overs of the same skill set, they are different bowlers, they bowl differently but both of them when conditions are right can be a real handful,” he continued.

In addition to bowling, the 51-year-old thinks that Jadeja and Axar are quite important in providing that extra depth in their batting. The common belief that left-hand bowlers cannot bowl against left-hand hitters was also emphasised by him.

“So, with their batting and all-around abilities, it enables India to do that, and as we’ve seen over the years, Jadeja can be quite dangerous in the appropriate circumstances. Meanwhile, Axar can offer a different kind of attack in situations where the conditions are a little bit different, like in New York. Though there are slight differences between them both, Fleming said, “It’s a myth that left-handers cannot bowl to left-hand batters; hopefully, we can bust that one and both of those players can contribute.”