SL vs IND 2021: "Sometimes I feel that it was a little bit unfair on him"- Ajit Agarkar on Kuldeep Yadav's lack of game time
Former India seamer Ajit Agarkar feels Kuldeep Yadav has been treated unfairly given his lack of game time in T20 cricket. Kuldeep is expected to be in action in the upcoming limited-overs series against Sri Lanka.
The left-arm chinaman bowler last represented India in a T20I game in January 2020. Since then, Kuldeep Yadav has failed to make his mark in the shortest format, with the spinner hardly featuring for his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders as well.
Speaking in a recent virtual interaction, Ajit Agarkar believes the spin bowling option is a bit of a worry for Team India going into the T20 World Cup.
"Sometimes I feel that it was a little bit unfair on him (Kuldeep Yadav) to miss out on series. But he needs to get his confidence back and start bowling well. Both him and Chahal know there are guys behind them and if you have competition, the team will do well. Spin has been a little bit of a worry for India, especially after Chahal and Kuldeep stopped playing together. But there are players like Rahul Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy and if those guys can do well, it will give more options to Virat Kohli."
Kuldeep Yadav last played for India in the ODI series against England in March. The 26-year-old had a disastrous outing, returning figures of 0-152 in his 19 overs over the course of two games.
"These performances won't go unnoticed"- Ajit Agarkar sees a chance for players to make their case for the T20 World Cup
With India's main team currently in England for the Test series against the hosts, the Men in Blue have picked a vastly different side for the Sri Lanka series. However, Ajit Agarkar believes players can make their case to be in the T20 World Cup squad if they perform well against Sri Lanka.
"The T20 World Cup is not too far away, so it is a good opportunity for the guys to put pressure on players who are already in the team to make their case. These performances won't get unnoticed."
India has picked as many as six uncapped players on the roster for the Sri Lanka tour. The series also presents a chance for the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and others to make an impact in international cricket following their recent struggles.
The start of the series against the Islanders has been rescheduled after cases of COVID-19 emerged in the Sri Lankan team camp. The first ODI will now be played on July 18.