Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has backed Kuldeep Yadav’s selection in the upcoming T20I series against the West Indies. Yadav recently took seven wickets in three ODIs against the Windies and ended as the leading wicket-taker in the series.
Chopra said that only Varun Chakravarthy is ahead of Kuldeep Yadav as a specialist spinner in T20Is and the former is currently recovering from an injury.
But Yadav hasn’t been consistently backed by the team management as they have preferred all-rounders ahead of him.
Aakash Chopra said on Cricinfo, “If there is Kuldeep Yadav in the squad, there’s only one guy who can actually displace him as a spinner. That’s Varun Chakravarthy. Varun is not there. He’s injured. He’s not available, so Kuldeep Yadav plays.”
Chopra also backed Arshdeep Singh, who didn’t play a single match in the Asian Games because of the spin-friendly conditions.
“In the Asian Games, he was almost like a tourist. Conditions were such. So now, he’s back. He needs to play,” Chopra added.
On the other hand, former Delhi cricketer backed Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav to play in the T20I series against the Windies.
“If you want extra pace, go to Mayank. If you want continuity, again he played in Zimbabwe. So that’s Mayank Yadav. Raw pace will always excite you. But Prince Yadav, whenever he’s played, however little he has played, he’s been very impressive. So five games, three for one, two for the other. I mean just find your way.”
Mayank Yadav has extra pace under his belt whereas Prince Yadav has been a consistent performer since making his debut.
The first T20I between India and the West Indies will be played at Lucknow on Tuesday.
