Yuzvendra Chahal Axed As Kuldeep Yadav Picked In India Squad For ICC World Cup 2023

Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has revealed his pick between Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav as the first-choice spinner in India’s playing XI ahead of the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2023.

Both the spinners recently made it to India’s squad for the upcoming three-match series against West Indies and are expected to lead the attack in the upcoming World Cup. Both the spinners were key members of India’s 2019 World Cup contingent.

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Chahal had picked up 12 wickets in the competition while Kuldeep had ended up with 6 wickets to his name. Since then, a lot has changed as both the spinners faced axe from the team on several occasions before reclaiming them. Unlike the old times, Kuldeep and Chahal rarely play together for India now and it would be interesting to see whether the team-management field them together or not in the upcoming World Cup.

Sanjay Manjrekar on Kuldeep Yadav – Yuzvendra Chahal conundrum:

While only time will tell India’s lineup for ICC World Cup 2023, Sanjay Manjrekar has said that he would pick Kuldeep ahead of Chahal to lead the spin attack. During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo’s ‘Run Order’, the former cricketer-turned-commentator was asked whether India can play two wrist-spinners in their playing XI heading into World Cup 2023.

“I don’t think so. Very rarely it can happen depending on the opposition. If there is a real weakness in the opposition to play wrist-spin, then you have Kuldeep Yadav and Chahal both playing in the XI,” said Sanjay Manjrekar.

“I see Chahal being part of the squad but I prefer Kuldeep Yadav when it comes to wrist-spin as the spinner in 50-over cricket. I am getting a little technical here. You need a spinner who can get wickets of batters while they are pushing, not hitting the big shots,” he added.

Speaking further, Manjrekar explained the reason behind picking Kuldeep ahead of Chahal who recently enjoyed another great outing in the IPL. Chahal finished the season with 21 wickets from 14 outings. Chahal is also the leading wicket-taker in the history of IPL.

“In T20 cricket, that is something you see very often. That’s how spinners get wickets. In 50-overs cricket, it’s a game where you push more than you actually slog. So a spinner capable of getting those wickets is Kuldeep Yadav. So he is sort of my first-choice wrist-spinner in the playing XI and then I will be looking at other options,” opined Manjrekar.

Talking about the spinners’ performance in World Cup, Kuldeep has picked up 134 wickets in 81 ODIs so far. Chahal, on the other hand, has taken 121 wickets in 72 ODIs.

Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah