T20 World Cup: Wanindu Hasaranga shows India needs a leg-spinner in upcoming matches

The leg spinner has endured a tough time as of late, not getting as many wickets as he would have liked and leaking runs.

However, he again proved why he was once dubbed 'champion' by India's very own Yuzvendra Chahal.

In a weird twist of fate, Chahal had called Hasaranga a champion due to his exploits for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2022 IPL.

This is weird because RCB signed Hasaranga as their replacement for Chahal – who went to the Rajasthan Royals.

But apart from their mutual admiration for one another, Hasaranga also showed why India needs Chahal in the side for their upcoming games in the World Cup.

For one, leg spinners work better in Australian conditions. It's no coincidence that of the four teams in the semis, two have top-quality leg spinners in the playing XI.

New Zealand has often relied on Ish Sodhi to curb the flow of runs or even sometimes get a crucial breakthrough.

And England has Adil Rasheed, a proven operator with the ball in hand at the game's highest levels.

South Africa and India also have wrist-spinners in their ranks – India has Chahal, and the Proteas have a Chinaman bowler in Tabraiz Shamsi. However, both find themselves out of the squad due to concerns over their form.

Yet while Keshav Maharaj has done admirably well for the Proteas, Ravichandran Ashwin's record for India has been mixed. And it has prompted calls for the recall of Chahal.

But even without Ashwin's mixed form, there are reasons why Chahal should be included in the line-up regardless.

Firstly, he's a wicket-taking bowler, whereas Ashwin is more economical. Chahal might occasionally go for more runs, but his wicket-taking is without reproach.

Secondly, his variations make him a tricky bowler to face and can work well for India whether or not the batsman he is bowling to left or right-handed.

Third, the fact that he bowls attacking lines and invites bowlers to hit him would work wonders in Australia, where the more enormous grounds tend to lead to more catching opportunities in the deep.

Fourth, it is already evident how effective wrist spinners have been through this tournament. Even the likes of Adam Zampa and Rashid Khan proved hard to play, despite their respective teams getting knocked out.

Thus, India dropping Ashwin and bringing in Chahal might help rather than hinder their chances of winning the tournament.

However, whether the team management would be keen to drop Ashwin at so crucial a time – especially given the backing he enjoys from India skipper Rohit Sharma – remains to be seen.