IND vs WI: Ex-India Opener Backs Kuldeep Yadav To Be India's Number One Spinner Ahead Of Yuzvendra Chahal

The race for India’s lead spinner in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 is heating up. At present, the race is mainly between Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. However, recent reports have suggested that veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin could be in contention too.

With Ravindra Jadeja set to be a part of the playing eleven as a spin-bowling all-rounder, only one frontline spinner is likely to get a chance in the playing eleven. The Indian team management did exactly that on Thursday (July 27) during the first ODI against West Indies as Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav played the game while Chahal warmed the bench.

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Kuldeep Yadav grabbed the opportunity with both hands as he picked up 4 wickets for just 6 runs in only 3 overs. Two of those overs were maiden overs as he was adjudged the Man of the Match for his stunning display. Thanks to his performance, India bowled out West Indies for just 114 runs and went on to win the game by 5 wickets.

Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal? Abhinav Mukund on India’s number one spinner:

While only time will tell who spearheads India’s spin attack in the coming days, former India batsman Abhinav Mukund believes Kuldeep Yadav will be the player to do so. Heaping praise on the left-arm spinner after his performance in the first ODI against West Indies, Mukund stated that Kuldeep Yadav is justifying the faith shown in him by the team management.

“Like I said before, this management has put in a lot of faith in Kuldeep Yadav. He was sort of somewhere in the wilderness prior to the previous World Cup. He got back and now he is in almost all three formats,” Mukund told JioCinema.

“He is making a claim to be India’s No. 1 white-ball spinner. He said so himself that he and Chahal share a good camaraderie off the field and he learns a lot from him. Kuldeep seems to be edging Chahal slightly in this series. I am sure Chahal will get an opportunity as well. Kuldeep has been exceptional since last year,” Mukund said.

Speaking further, Mukund highlighted Kuldeep Yadav’s fine performance in recent months due to the changes he has made to his bowling after a tough IPL campaign. Since January 2022, Yadav has taken 31 ODI wickets in 17 matches.

“Ever since he had a very poor IPL for KKR, I think he has come good for Delhi. His speeds have improved. Look at the number of 4-wicket hauls in 2022. After the phase where people weren’t picking him, he has sort of had a second wind with his speed and revs on the ball being much, much better than before, making it harder to pick him,” he said.

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