Abhishek Nayar Urges To Include Kuldeep Yadav In India’s Playing XI For 2nd ODI vs Australia

Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar believes the team could drop a fast bowler to accommodate Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI for the second ODI against Australia. According to Nayar, the fact that spinners claimed two of the three Australian wickets in Perth might influence head coach Gautam Gambhir to include the wrist-spinner.

Kuldeep’s omission from the first ODI raised eyebrows, especially after his stellar performance in the Asia Cup, where he picked up 17 wickets to help India clinch the title. In contrast, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar took one wicket each in Perth, but the bowling unit struggled overall as India lost the rain-curtailed 26-over match by seven wickets.

Speaking to Jatin Sapru on Star Sports, Abhishek Nayar shared his thoughts on Kuldeep’s potential return to the lineup.

“Let me make a guess. I’ll take a guess. There’s just going to be one replacement in the next match. I think Kuldeep Yadav will come in and one fast bowler will miss out is my understanding of it. He (captain Shubman Gill) will still want batting depth.”

“He will still go one fast bowler less because even in game when the ball was seaming, swinging and doing a bit, Axar Patel picked up a wicket, Washington Sundar picked up a wicket and the sole wicket that a fast bowler got was Arshdeep Singh.”

“India Will Rely On Kuldeep Yadav Between Overs 15 And 35” – Abhishek Nayar

In the same conversation, Nayar mentioned that Adelaide’s conditions are ideal for Kuldeep, allowing him to extract pace from the pitch. He added that the left-arm wrist-spinner could pose the biggest challenge to Australia.

“He understands, India understands, and Shubman Gill understands that Kuldeep Yadav is India’s biggest threat in Australia. The conditions will suit him, he will get pace off the pitch, and India will need him between the 15 to 35-over mark to pick crucial wickets, especially with no Varun Chakravarthy,” Nayar said.

“This Varun Chakravarthy-Kuldeep Yadav combination is why they were so successful in the Champions Trophy and also when they played England in India. So, there may be a thought process and you may see Kuldeep Yadav come in,” he added.