On Thursday, June 20, India and Afghanistan will square off in their first Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2024. For the West Indies leg, should the Men in Blue include Kuldeep Yadav in their playing lineup?
India will be keen to carry on their winning streak in the Super 8s when they play Afghanistan on Thursday, June 20 at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados. India advanced through the T20 World Cup 2024 group stages unharmed. The Men in Blue’s last match versus Canada washed out in Florida, so this will be their first game in the West Indies. The Rohit Sharma-led team will likely try to modify their lineup in light of the West Indies’ conditions after playing on the slow field at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. India was able to enter with four seamers on the New York surface because hitters found it tough to get to them.
After 2022, the left-arm spinner has had in incredible form in all three formats. With 106 wickets from just 59 innings at an average of 19.64 and an economy of 3.70, he is his team’s third-highest wicket-taker. With a career T20I average of 14.10 and an economy of 6.74, the 29-year-old has claimed 59 wickets from 34 innings. In the middle overs, Kuldeep has established himself as India’s go-to player for taking vital wickets to halt the run flow.
Team India will have a lot to consider before adding him to the roster despite his amazing statistics because they often don’t alter their winning lineup for major tournaments. Dropping a player from the winning lineup to make room for Kuldeep would be another difficulty.Mohammed Siraj, who was the least productive of the four seamers, will probably be the one to make way for the left-arm wrist spinner. Despite taking just one wicket in three innings, the right-arm seamer has the second-best economy rate (5.18) of any bowler.
Conversely, the Men in Blue have been led by Jasprit Bumrah (5 wickets), Hardik Pandya (7), and Arshdeep Singh (7 wickets). Therefore, it appears like Siraj will be the one to give way to Kuldeep.
Since the 2014 edition of the T20 World Cup, India has been without a wrist spinner; Amit Mishra was the last player to consistently represent the nation in the major tournament. In the 2021 edition, Rahul Chahar was also highlighted. The 24-year-old did, however, play in a meaningless rubber match against Namibia.
Therefore, Kuldeep’s involvement might be the final piece needed to put the Asian giants together and win the crown, something they have failed to do thus far. Moreover, Kuldeep’s cause is further advanced by the accomplishments of Wanindu Hasranga, Rashid Khan, Adam Zampa, and Adil Rashid, among others.
