Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has revealed that they don’t want to expose Kuldeep Yadav a lot and thus rested him for the first two ODI matches against Australia. Yadav was at his best in the recently concluded Asia Cup, which India won comprehensively by 10 wickets after beating Sri Lanka in the summit clash.
The left-arm spinner scalped nine wickets in five matches of the continental tournament at an impressive average of 11.44. Kuldeep bagged a five-wicket haul (5-25) against Pakistan in the Super Fours stage match whereas he returned with impressive figures of 4-43 against Sri Lanka.
Ergo, he was awarded Player of the Tournament for his exemplary performances in these two matches.
Kuldeep has been bowling beautifully in the last couple of years and he has all the confidence under his belt to deliver for the team.
Speaking at a virtual press conference, Rohit Sharma commented: “Kuldeep is a rhythm bowler, we all know that. But we thought of a lot of things and took this call. His bowling is going well, like Ajit [Agarkar] said, we had to give players a chance, especially those who played just one game at the Asia Cup and are in the World Cup squad.”
The Indian captain added: “We have been looking at Kuldeep for the last one, one and a half years, this is why we don’t want to expose him a lot. He is coming back for the last match. There are a lot of reasons. This is the best decision for us, to have him sit out for two games and play the third. We have a couple of practice matches, so he should get his bowling rhythm right.”
On the other hand, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said Kuldeep will be India’s trump card in the upcoming World Cup. In the 16 ODIs of 2023, Yadav has picked up 31 wickets at an average of 15.51.
“I’ve spent a couple of years with him in the IPL. He’s a guy who has a special skill set. Every player needs to be shown faith, given a bit of confidence, which is what the team management has done. It’s probably showing on the field right now. In various conditions against various oppositions, he is one of India’s trump cards.”
“We are all very happy for him and excited over what he’s doing on the cricket field for the moment. Hopefully, he can continue that. Clearly, most teams at the moment coming up against him are finding it a challenge,” Agarkar concluded.
India will take on Australia at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali on Friday.
