Chahal, Kuldeep must play all matches in ODI series, opines VVS Laxman

India’s twin wrist spinners are taking giant strides towards sealing their spots in the limited overs team. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav bring a lot to the table. Both have a bag of tricks up their sleeves and have an attacking mindset which propels well for the side.

Kohli has backed both of them in the last few months ever since Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin’s ODI stocks started dilapidating. Both Test stars had an awful time in the ICC Champions Trophy in June and haven’t played much white-ball cricket since then. The other spinner in the ODI squad was Axar Patel but he picked up an injury just before the first ODI which prompted the selectors to bring back Jadeja in the squad.

Though he sat out in the first game, it will be tough for the team management to ignore him throughout the series given his stature in international cricket. To accommodate Jadeja in the XI, Chahal or Kuldeep will have to miss out which isn’t ideal given their performance in the first game.

Former India great VVS Laxman has called for playing Chahal and Kuldeep throughout the series to nurture them ahead of sterner challenges. Both collectively picked five wickets in 8 overs in the first game which led India to a 26-run win at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

“Even though the experienced Jadeja has been called into the squad as a replacement for Axar Patel, my firm belief is that Kuldeep and Chahal must play all the matches so that they enhance their learning and settle down within the framework of the team. Together, they form a unique and potent wrist-spinning wicket-taking act and are surely destined for greater deeds, just like Hardik is,” Laxman wrote in his column for TOI.

The second game will kick off at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday. In all probability, Jadeja is expected to be sidelined for this game. With the rise of Hardik Pandya; he has sealed the role of the all-rounder in the XI which makes a Jadeja comeback in the XI even more difficult.