Kuldeep Yadav is gold dust, his form in ODI World Cup will be crucial: Aakash Chopra

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra lauded Kuldeep Yadav and stated that the left-arm wrist spinner is going to be extremely crucial for the national team in the upcoming ODI World Cup, which is slated to begin on October 5. He has been terrific in the recent ODI series against West Indies and was sensational in the third T20I, picking up three wickets in Guyana.

Meanwhile, Chopra believes that Kuldeep’s confidence is back and will not just be important for the team in the upcoming ODI World Cup but also in the 2024 T20 World Cup, as he has done a tremendous job in these conditions. The 45-year-old also called the spinner gold dust and lauded his ability to take wickets in the middle overs.

“It is absolutely back, and he is doing slightly different things. I am trying to think a little ahead. We are going to play the T20 World Cup in the West Indies itself. In these conditions, you will need a bowler who keeps you in the game by picking up wickets,” Chopra said while talking to Jio Cinema.

“The way T20 is played, it is important that you pick up wickets constantly. If you have a wicket-taking bowler, especially in the middle overs, he is gold dust. He is anyway doing well in ODIs, so his role in the upcoming 50-over World Cup will also be extremely crucial,” he added.

Meanwhile, after losing the first two matches of the T20I series, India made an empathic comeback, winning the third match by seven wickets. Batting first, the home team started well, while Rovman Powell’s blistering knock accelerated things as West Indies posted 159 runs on board in the first innings.

When it came to the chase, Suryakumar Yadav was phenomenal, scoring 83 runs off 44 deliveries, while his Mumbai Indians teammate Tilak Varma hit 49* runs off 37 deliveries.  Courtesy of their incredible knocks, India managed to win the match with 13 balls to spare.