Kuldeep, Chahal have made us forget Ashwin, Jadeja: Sehwag

Former India star Virender Sehwag has asserted that newcomers like Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have made people "forget" bowlers like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

"It is a nice thing that we do not feel the pinch of not having two experienced spinners on our side, because our newcomers are performing very well," Sehwag told India TV.

Kuldeep Yadav had clinched a hat-trick in the second One-Day International (ODI) against Australia in Kolkata on Thursday.

Sehwag praised Kuldeep Yadav's hat-trick, but added: "He must bowl according to his field placings, because in the second ODI, he gave away too many runs during his spell."

The former explosive batsman also praised Yuzvendra Chahal, pointing out that he is often the go-to-man for India skipper Virat Kohli.

"Chahal has the advantage of bowling on wickets like Bengaluru during the IPL matches. Chahal plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore, which is captained by Virat Kohli," he said.

"So whenever there is a crisis, Kohli hands over the ball to Chahal."

Sehwag felt that overall the Indian team appears to be strong, but the middle-order seems to be the "weak link".

"The middle-order did not perform well in the first two ODIs, and captain Kohli needs to change the batting order. Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav should take advantage of the chances given to them, otherwise both have been flops till now," he said.

"Team India presently seems to be as strong as Steve Waugh's or Ricky Ponting's Australian teams. The present Australian team lacks strength. I am confident Team India will win the series 5-0," the former opener added.

Asserting that bowling is the weak link for the visitors, the 'Sultan of Multan' opined that the Indians will have to be wary of Australian batsmen Steve Smith, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell.

"The Australian team does not have good bowlers except Nathan Coulter-Nile. In the batting order, we would have to remove Steve Smith, Warner and Maxwell at the earliest," Sehwag said.

"Smith, in particular, because he always makes runs against India."

Nathan Coulter-Nile had taken three wickets each in the first two ODIs against India.

Sehwag, famous for his whacky comments on Twitter, heaped praise on Kohli.

"Hothon Par Hansi, Dil Me Gam Hai, Australiawale Kohli se Tang Hain (With smiles on their faces, but sad at heart, the Aussies find Kohli intimidating)," he said.

"Kohli as captain does not speak much, but his bat speaks for him. Kohli knows how to bring a game under his control, and that is why, India is on its winning streak," he added.

"Dhoni, too, knew how to bring the game under his control."

It was at Holkar Stadium in Indore, where the third ODI will be played on Sunday, that Sehwag had hit a double century (219 runs off 149 balls) against West Indies on December 8, 2011. In the same innings, he had crossed the 8,000-run mark in ODI cricket.

--IANS

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