WTC Final: "Kuldeep Yadav will have to try and prove himself again and again" - Parthiv Patel
Parthiv Patel has said that Kuldeep Yadav will have to consistently excel in domestic cricket to stage a comeback in the Indian team.
Kuldeep Yadav was ignored by selectors while picking the 20-member India squad for WTC final and the subsequent five Tests against England. He was not even named in the four standbys picked for the tour.
During a discussion on the Star Sports show Cricket Connected, Parthiv Patel opined that Kuldeep Yadav will have to set the domestic circuit on fire to be back in the good books of the selectors.
"Kuldeep Yadav will have to go to first-class cricket and take a lot of wickets as everyone does. One or two fifers or a 10-wicket haul will not do him any favors. I think he will have to go out there and try and prove himself again and again," said Patel.
The former India wicket-keeper replied in the affirmative when asked if Kuldeep Yadav will also have to work on his batting.
"That's a very big plus. When we talk about all-rounder's spot which we will miss in Hardik Pandya, that all-rounder's spot can be filled by Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin or you talk about Axar Patel or Washington Sundar," observed Patel.
Parthiv Patel highlighted that all the spinners chosen in the squad for England are proficient with the bat and lend the required balance to the team, especially in the absence of Hardik Pandya.
"Everyone is capable of scoring a first-class hundred and everyone has scored a first-class hundred. Some of them have scored double hundreds and triple hundreds. So that makes a huge difference. It just gives you a proper balance, say you have six batsmen and you have all-rounders in Jadeja and Ashwin at No.7 and No.8 and you have three fast bowlers. So, you are going with five proper bowlers and the batsmen in Jadeja and Ashwin as well," added Patel.
With the uncertainties surrounding domestic tournaments considering the prevailing COVID-19 situation, it might be difficult for Kuldeep Yadav to get enough game time and regain his lost confidence.
"Kuldeep Yadav can always make a comeback" - Parthiv Patel
Parthiv Patel signed off by stating that age is on Kuldeep Yadav's side and he can definitely stage a comeback by putting in the hard yards.
Also check WTC final score by clicking here.
"It will be very interesting to see how Kuldeep Yadav works hard on his game because he is young and he can always make a comeback," concluded Patel.
Kuldeep Yadav has more often than not warmed the benches lately in all three formats of the game. He did not even get a game for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the now-suspended IPL 2021.
It will be interesting to see if the left-arm wrist-spinner is included as part of the Indian limited-overs squad for the Sri Lankan tour.