'His entry was delayed by Shubman Gill' - Irfan Pathan dissects India captain's strategy involving Kuldeep Yadav in 1st ODI

Kuldeep Yadav produced a match-defining spell of 4/40 in 10 overs during the first ODI between India and West Indies at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, on September 27. His wickets included John Campbell, Shai Hope, Justin Greaves and Jewel Andrew.

West Indies openers Justin Greaves and John Campbell had put on a 135-run opening stand before Kuldeep was introduced into the attack. Gill did not bring Kuldeep on during the first powerplay, even as West Indies scored at approximately nine runs per over in that phase without losing a wicket.

Kuldeep was introduced before the 16th over, and in his third over of the spell he dismissed Campbell, breaking the 135-run partnership. He went on to claim three more wickets to finish with his 4/40 return across his full allocation of 10 overs.

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan took to X to highlight the role Shubman Gill's captaincy played in setting up Kuldeep's performance.

"Kuldeep Yadav has been brilliant today. His entry was delayed by Shubman Gill, and rightly so. The captain wanted the ball to be a bit older, which worked brilliantly for Kuldeep and the team," wrote Pathan on X.

Irfan Pathan@IrfanPathan

Kuldeep Yadav has been brilliant today. His entry was delayed by Shubman Gill, and rightly so. The captain wanted the ball to be a bit older, which worked brilliantly for Kuldeep and the team.

04:49 PM · Sep 27, 2026

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With Washington Sundar unavailable for the ODI series due to his commitments at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Kuldeep and Ravindra Jadeja are the two spinners in India's squad. He had entered the series with 194 wickets in 121 ODIs at an average of 27.05, with his last ODI appearance before this match having come on against Afghanistan in June.

Thanks to Kuldeep's sensational spell of bowling, the West Indies were pegged back in the middle overs. Keacy Carty's insipid knock of 13 off 31 balls took the air out of the West Indies' sails. Skipper Shai Hope and Jewel Andrew also failed to make much of an impact. Amir Jangoo, however, played a solid knock of 58 not out off 43 balls to take the Caribbean side to 295/7 in 50 overs.