IS THERE A PLACE FOR BOTH KULDEEP YADAV AND YUZVENDRA CHAHAL IN INDIA'S ODI XI?

If we look at the one-day careers of Kuldeep and Chahal, both have highly impressive records. Kuldeep has claimed 139 wickets in 83 matches at an average of 26.75, with six four-wicket hauls and one five-for...

- RENIN WILBEN

The Indian team is looking to finalize its squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup, which will be played at home from October 5 to November 19. If we look at the current squad, skipper Rohit Sharma, opener Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, all-rounder Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, and pacer Mohammed Siraj seem certainties. Fitness permitting, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and batters KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer should also cut. However, question marks over the spin department remain. There was a time when leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, famously referred to as KulCha, were an inseparable part of the Indian ODI XI. However, things have changed drastically following the 2019 World Cup in England, where both struggled. Both the spinners subsequently lost their place in the team. They have since returned, but the Indian combination changed in the interim. India have multiple spin-bowling options in the ODI format, with Jadeja’s return and Axar Patel’s rise. There are the all-round skills of off-spinner Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi’s upcoming talent. As a result, KulCha have found it difficult to feature in the playing XI lately.

KULDEEP HAS THE EDGE OVER CHAHAL?