Kuldeep Yadav has been brought into the mix for India’s T20 World Cup Super 8 opener against Afghanistan on Thursday due to the spin-friendly conditions in the Caribbean. Despite being India’s top spinner in all formats, Kuldeep was benched for the tournament’s league stage. During that phase, India opted for a lineup featuring three specialist pacers and two finger spinners in Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, allowing them to extend their batting depth to the number 8 position.
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Captain Rohit Sharma has emphasized the importance of using four all-rounders (two pacers and two spinners) to maintain balance in the playing XI. Therefore, it’s unlikely he will compromise on this strategy. The only scenario where Kuldeep Yadav could be included in the XI is if India decides to drop one of their three pacers.
Kuldeep Yadav, similar to the opening practice session, had a lengthy bowling session on Tuesday. During this session, he bowled to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both of whom were seen employing the slog sweep against the wrist spinners.
Under the watchful eye of head coach Rahul Dravid, Kuldeep Yadav was bowling to an imaginary field against Rohit Sharma, who was initially troubled by the left-arm spinner at the beginning of the session.
If the ball turns on the main square as much as it has been turning in the nets, bringing in Kuldeep would seem like an obvious decision. However, pitch conditions on game day are unpredictable.
The pitch could potentially be a good batting track, as evidenced by Australia’s 201-run total against England in the league stage of the competition here.
Two days before the game, all squad members attended training on Tuesday, following their full turnout the previous day. Virat Kohli, aiming to regain form, had an extensive batting session, primarily facing throwdowns before switching nets to confront Kuldeep Yadav and Khaleel Ahmed. Kohli managed to connect well against Kuldeep’s deliveries, but he struggled with a few deliveries from Khaleel, which left him visibly frustrated.
A passing shower briefly interrupted the session before Rohit Sharma and company returned to the nets.
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