Trouble for India if Kuldeep and Chahal have bad day in tandem: Panesar

Former England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar feels doom awaits India if Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal fail collectively in the ongoing World Cup, something that was demonstrated quite well by Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy.

Kuldeep and Chahal, India's famed wrist spin duo, were hammered for 160 runs in their combined 20 overs on Sunday, with the Haryana leg-spinner's 0/88 in 10 overs being the worst figures by an Indian bowler in the World Cup. India lost the match by 31 runs in a chase of 338.

"I guess, they are going to have a bad day at some point in time. It shows when both don't bowl well in tandem then India can't go the distance," Panesar told PTI during an interview.

"For India to do well, it is crucial that at least one of the two spinners perform in all the games. If both do well, it's great but today was a great example when England batsmen got on top of them from the start," said Panesar, who played 50 Tests for England, picking up 167 wickets.

Panesar then explained how Bairstow and Roy's relentless attack upset the rhythm of the two wrist spinners.

"Bairstow and Roy were fearless. They took nice big strides, had strong base (balance) and anything flighted, they just went at it. They weren't scared of the flight and took the aerial route," said Panesar, one of the architects of England's 2012 Test series win in India.

The shorter boundaries and the reverse sweeps did play a huge role, said Panesar.

"I know as a spinner, it makes it so difficult. Then (Ben) Stokes came in and played those 360 degree shots," he said, referring to the 59-metre boundary on one side.

"You start thinking, 'Oh, should I put two covers or one cover? Do I place a mid-wicket to stop a single or put one at the cover boundary'?"
"But I guess leg-spinners will always play a role because of the pace on the ball, it is hard to put through at times."
"When you hit three quarters, there is a chance for balls to skid through and then it has a chance of hitting the stumps. That's what Behrendorff is doing."