3 spinners who could have been picked ahead of Kuldeep Yadav for ODI series vs West Indies
Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav was a surprise pick for India's ODI squad for the three-match series against the West Indies at home.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced the squads for the ODI and T20 International (T20I) series against the Windies.
T20I squad: Rohit Sharma(Capt),KL Rahul (vc),Ishan Kishan,Virat Kohli,Shreyas Iyer,Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk),Venkatesh Iyer,Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi,Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Mohd. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel
While Kuldeep did not make it to the T20I squad, he was among the 18 players named for the ODIs.
ODI squad: Rohit Sharma (Capt), KL Rahul (vc), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shikhar, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wk), D Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Y Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan
Apart from Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi are the spinners in the ODI squad. Spin-bowling all-rounder Deepak Hooda has also been called up.
Kuldeep's last ODI came on tour in Sri Lanka in July after which he underwent a knee surgery and has not played any cricket. Even before his surgery, he had fallen down the pecking order and was no longer a sure starter for India.
Even at his Indian Premier League (IPL) team, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), he was pushed down to the bench. He had indifferent form and lost the spark and mystery that had made him a menace when he first broke into the scene.
Given his lack of match practice and form, India could have opted for some other options in his place. Here are three spinners that India could have picked ahead of Kuldeep Yadav:
#1 Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin was brought back into the Indian white-ball setup in the 2021 T20 World Cup. He played his first ODIs since 2017 in the 3-0 series defeat in South Africa in January as well.
While the BCCI offered injury updates on players like Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, there was no explanation for Ashwin's exclusion from the squad.
Three matches in unfriendly conditions is hardly enough to judge the veteran spinner by. If the team want to bring him back into the fold for limited overs, he should be given a slightly longer rope.
Ashwin is a wily operator and in home conditions and his experience would have come in handy. He has 151 wickets in 113 ODIs and an economy of 4.94.
He is especially dangerous against left-handers and would have been a good option to go with ahead of Kuldeep Yadav.
#2 Varun Chakravarthy
Given a go at the 2021 T20 World Cup and dropped after that, Varun Chakravarthy's international career has been a stop-start so far.
Fitness issues have played their part, but the mystery spinner did not do much wrong to be dropped from the side completely. He has 22 wickets from nine List A matches and an economy rate of 4.23.
Chakravarthy pipped Kuldeep Yadav in KKR's spin attack and deserves to be given more backing in the international setup. He has outfoxed several top quality batters in the IPL and should not be written off so quickly.
#3 Rahul Chahar
Rahul Chahar is another player who has been dropped by India after the 2021 T20 World Cup. He got to play only one game in the tournament against Namibia.
In the only ODI he played against Sri Lanka in July, Chahar returned with figures of 3/50.
He has 67 wickets in 40 List A matches and a bowling average of 25.86. He has consistently shown his worth in the IPL, and at 22 years of age, a young player with a lot of potential.
Also, Yuzvendra Chahal is the only leg-spinner in the team. Chahar would have been a good backup for him even if he wasn't picked in the first team.