IND vs AUS: Most Teams Are Finding Him A Challenge: Ajit Agarkar Names India's Trump Card For World Cup

India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar has named the player who can be Team India’s ‘trump card’ in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023. The Men in Blue have proved their World Cup credentials by winning the Asia Cup 2023 in a stunning fashion.

Playing at full strength after quite a while, India inflicted heavy defeats on Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super 4 stage before registering a memorable win over the latter in the final. In the title decider, India registered a thumping 10-wicket win over the home side at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Riding on Mohammed Siraj’s sensational spell of 6 wickets for 21 runs, India bowled out Sri Lanka for a record total of 50 runs in less than 16 overs. Openers Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill then chased down the paltry total in just 6.1 overs to help India win the Asia Cup for the eighth time.

Ajit Agarkar on India’s trump card:

The win in the Asia Cup is a timely warning from Team India for the other teams ahead of the World Cup. The Rohit Sharma-led side will be one of the favorites for the World Cup. A full-strength Indian team in home conditions will definitely be the team to beat in the marquee event. And before the tournament gets underway, Ajit Agarkar has named spinner Kuldeep Yadav as India’s trump card.

Kuldeep Yadav has been fine in ODIs in recent months and won the Player of the Series award in the Asia Cup. The left-arm spinner picked up an impressive 5-wicket haul against Pakistan and followed it up with a 4-wicket haul against Sri Lanka before being rested for the Bangladesh clash. He finished the competition as India’s second-highest wicket-taker behind Siraj.

“I have spent time with him in the IPL. He’s a guy with special skillset. Every guy needs to be shown faith and the Indian team management has done that and the results are there. He’s a trump card (for us). Most teams are finding him a challenge. All of us are excited for what lies ahead,” Ajit Agarkar told the media on Monday (September 18).

Having played a starring role in India’s Asia Cup triumph, Kuldeep Yadav has been rested for the first two matches of the upcoming three-ODI series against Australia. The series will start on September 22. Apart from Kuldeep, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya have also been rested for the first two games. In Rohit’s absence, KL Rahul will lead the side.