India are vying to reclaim the 50-overs crown in October-November this year, having not won the marquee tournament since the famous 2011 triumph.
Ex left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi made an early pick on India’s first-choice wristspinner for the 2023 World Cup on home shores. Joshi, also the former chief selector, reckons the selection panel and the team management should consider left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav as their best option.
Joshi went on to say India can afford to drop Kuldeep’s more experienced spin partner Yuzvendra Chahal, who is struggling in his view, but they must give the UP left-armer all the confidence and game time required to be prepped up for a 50-overs World Cup in home conditions.
Kuldeep Yadav has been on an encouraging comeback trail ever since the ODI series at home against South Africa last October. The spinner has since produced a Test five-fer in Chattogram and bowled match-winning spells in the successive 50-over games against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, forcing his way back into the T20I side, too.
When getting it right, there are few sights better in world cricket than watching the 28-year-old, who has made specific tweaks in his bowling alignment through the crease to maximise his optimum speed and overall tricks up his sleeves. He has overshadowed Chahal, whom Kuldeep replaced in the ODI side and even started the T20Is versus New Zealand before him.
With Chahal’s stocks on the fall, Joshi said he doesn’t see the Haryana cricketer making the World Cup. “No,” he told ESPNcricinfo when asked if both Kuldeep and Chahal can be part of the squad for the quadrennial event. “Given the options I have at this point in time, (Ravindra) Jadeja will be in my squad. If he is not in good rhythm, you have a back-up in Axar.”
“Then probably I would look at Washy (Washington Sundar) or Ravi Bishnoi, if I have to have one more legspinner, because Bishnoi is more consistent and has a quicker arm action and he’s a better fielder than Chahal.”
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Enjoying Kuldeep’s resurgent ways with the ball, Joshi just had one advise to the youngster: “prepare himself”, not just skill-wise but also on “tactical” terms for the World Cup, where each venue will pose a different challenge to his art, both in terms of the surfaces in use and the boundary dimensions in play.
“We are talking about seven-eight months from now. Kuldeep is in a space where he is absolutely fine. He needs to be more consistent. He needs to be looking at the tactical part. He needs to know how he will approach each team and venue.”
“The World Cup is in India but every venue has a different dimension, in terms of pitch, soil and climate. He has to prepare himself accordingly,” Joshi added.
