Table of Contents
Kuldeep Yadav wreaked havoc in the first ODI between India and West Indies on September 27 at the Greenfield International Stadium. When the openers of West Indies, Justin Greaves and John Campbell, were toying with the Indian regular past bowlers, Kuldeep came and instantly changed the colour of the match.
It was the same bowler who remained on the bench for the entire England tour and missed several matches in the recent past. Kuldeep Yadav was among the bowlers who have a lot of potential, but are mostly underutilized.
Kuldeep Yadav derailed West Indies in the 1st ODI match
At the Greenfield International Stadium, after more than a couple of decades, a West Indies opening pair registered a hundred-plus run partnership in an ODI match against India. Justin Greaves scored 101 runs, and Campbell returned with a 62-run knock. Both of the batters were dispatched by Kuldeep Yadav.
While the rest of the bowlers, including Prasidh Krishna, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Gurnoor Brar, and debutant Naman Dhir, went for runs in the initial stage of the innings, Kuldeep made the difference. Ravindra Jadeja also could not do much with his spin.
India captain Shubman Gill introduced Kuldeep Yadav late in the bowling innings, when the batters were inre in a low gear, and the ball started to lose its shine. Kuldeep came and instantly pitched the ball full.
His intention was clear: force the batters to play strokes and keep the ball in their radar, but in a tricky way. The well-batting duo of Justin Greaves and John Campbell fell into the trap. After the openers were dismissed, it exposed the middle order of West Indies, and India restricted them to 295 runs.
Parthiv Patel heaps praise on Kuldeep Yadav
Former Team India keeper-batter Parthiv Patel praises Kuldeep for his match-defining spell. The chinaman spinner took 4 wickets in his spell for only 40 runs. On Monday, September 28, Parthiv in his 'X' post praised Kuldeep for his bowling. Highlighting the value of an attacking wrist spinner in the middle order, the former cricketer said that Kuldeep is capable of both taking wickets and changing the momentum of a match.
"Some bowlers take wickets. Some change the game. Kuldeep Yadav does both. West Indies were 176 for 1 before Kuldeep took four of the next five wickets, finishing with 4/40. That is the value of an attacking wrist-spinner in the middle overs," Parthiv Patel wrote in his 'X' post.
Some bowlers take wickets. Some change the game. Kuldeep Yadav does both.
— Parthiv Patel (@parthiv9) September 28, 2026
West Indies were 176 for 1 before Kuldeep took four of the next five wickets, finishing with 4/40.
That is the value of an attacking wrist-spinner in the middle overs.#KuldeepYadav #TeamIndia
(Photo… pic.twitter.com/TbmdeZyxen
Parthiv Patel is likely to replace Ajit Agarkar as chief selector
For the last few days, multiple reports across social media platforms claimed that Parthiv Patel could be the next chief selector of the India men's national cricket team, replacing Ajit Agarkar.
Ajit Agarkar is the current selector-in-chief of the panel, whose contract with the BCCI is coming to an end. BCCI has the option to extend the validity of the contract, but neither the board nor Ajit Agarkar himself is reportedly interested in extending the contract.
