On the day before the first ODI in Birmingham, former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar had an important message for the team management: support Kuldeep Yadav and give him a chance to play regularly before the World Cup next year.
As the teams gathered for the toss in the series opener, India—led by Shubman Gill—made a surprising decision by leaving Kuldeep Yadav out of the playing XI, instead opting for three all-rounders.
This choice has become part of a familiar pattern for the Indian team under head coach Gautam Gambhir. They often prioritize a strong batting lineup, which has led to the omission of quality bowlers. In this match, India selected Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube for their bowling attack, which was spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah. Unfortunately, there was no spot for Kuldeep Yadav, who is known for being one of the most aggressive spinners, especially in challenging overseas conditions.
The India XI for the match included: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul (WK), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Jasprit Bumrah, and Prasidh Krishna.
Many thought Kuldeep might be included, especially since Sundar and Patel did not perform well in the recent T20I series, which India lost 0-4. In fact, Washington was even dropped for the last T20I, and captain Shreyas Iyer had a critical take on his bowling.
Kuldeep, who missed the T20 squad, lost out again as India aimed for more batting strength. The absence of Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana, both valuable for adding depth to the batting, further hurt Kuldeep’s chances of playing.
Since the conclusion of the 2023 ODI World Cup, Kuldeep has participated in just six of India’s ten ODIs outside India, while Sundar and Patel have played more often. In total, Kuldeep has only appeared in 11 matches across formats, compared to Sundar’s 26 and Patel’s 30.
No X-Factor
In a conversation with JioStar after Kuldeep was omitted from the lineup, Nayar expressed that India was compromising on a game-changing bowler for the sake of batting depth.
“You want depth in your batting, but not at the cost of taking wickets,” Nayar said. “At the end of the day, you win games by taking wickets. Just ask anyone. A team that reached the IPL final had a bowling attack capable of dismissing batters. Without such an ability, no amount of batting will save you from struggling.”
He pointed out that while Prasidh Krishna and Jasprit Bumrah can take wickets, the other bowlers in the lineup tend to be more economical than aggressive. Nayar emphasized that having Kuldeep Yadav would bring that necessary impact during the middle overs.
India did welcome back Jasprit Bumrah, who hadn’t played an ODI since the World Cup final, and also included Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar while resting Arshdeep Singh due to his heavy workload in the T20 series. Gurnoor had shown promise in his debut ODI series against Afghanistan at home.
Thus, while the team management focuses on batting depth, many fans and experts alike are eager to see Kuldeep Yadav given his opportunity to shine.
