IND vs SL: Aakash Chopra questions Kuldeep Yadav's exclusion from India's playing XI in first ODI

Aakash Chopra believes the exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav from the Indian team in the 1st ODI against Sri Lanka was a bit surprising. Ever since the onset of the ODI series, there have been many talks and debates on Team India's decision of the final playing XI. 

It started with Rohit Sharma's decision of opting for Shubman Gill over Ishan Kishan in the opener's slot along with him, which didn't go down too well with cricket pundits. Yesteryear legend Venkatesh Prasad was one of the many who openly expressed his displeasure on this decision. Now to join this debate with a fresh topic is Aakash Chopra.

Aakash Chopra opens up on Kuldeep Yadav's exclusion from India's XI

Former cricketer Aakash Chopra took to his YouTube channel to express his surprise over the exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav from the Indian squad. The Indian management chose Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal over the left-arm sppinner in the 1st ODI against Sri Lanka. The two spinners picked up a solitary wicket between them in the hosts' comprehensive 67-run win.

"There was no place for Kuldeep Yadav. No one is talking about him, everyone is saying that Bumrah is not there. But if you see Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav's stats, there was a tweet from Dillip Mohanty, they are almost equal in everything - wickets or Man of the Match performances," said Chopra.

"Kuldeep Yadav has been almost at par with Bumrah in everything, almost neck to neck. Then why don't we talk about him, that you should play Kuldeep Yadav. India didn't play him, that's a separate issue," Chopra signed off.

Kuldeep has picked up 119 wickets at a decent economy rate of 5.20 in 73 ODIs. However, he has not been as potent in the last three years, having accounted for 20 dismissals in 17 games.