It has taken just one match in Australia for a familiar question to surface. “Why isn’t Kuldeep Yadav not in the XI?” Like England, where he repeatedly missed out on a spot in the XI to all-rounders, the story is the same in Australia as well. From looking at two wrist-spinners in ODIs because they offer more as wicket-taking options in the middle overs, that India are now going back to two finger spinners may seem as a step backwards. But in an era where limited overs are mostly won with the bat, India inclining towards it should come as no surprise.
The big picture is undoubtedly the 2027 World Cup, where the bounce and seam movement in South Africa will be similar to what is on offer in Australia. But strangely, Kuldeep has contrasting numbers in both countries. While he averages 15.94 with the ball in Rainbow nation in eight matches with 18 wickets, in Australia he has only three wickets from as many matches at an average of 59. But those are smaller samples to discount a spinner of Kuldeep’s calibre.
“I can understand why they’re playing two spinners in the game along with Nitish Reddy, they want the batting depth because both Washington and Axar can bat. But man, at least give some attention to the bowling too. On these big grounds, if Kuldeep can’t bowl with a lot of freedom, where will he bowl then? And there’s going to be over spin which will help him get bounce as well,” said R Ashwin on his YouTube Channel.
Nitish Kumar Reddy
This isn’t a straightforward competition given the skillset of both players is poles apart. But in the big picture called the 2027 World Cup and most importantly the T20 World Cup that is just months away, India’s team management and the selectors feel Nitish could have a crucial role to play. While the presence of Hardik Pandya in the T20I side limits the game time for Nitish, it is not the case in the ODIs. Since the 2019 World Cup semifinal, Pandya hasn’t bowled the full quota of 10 overs in an ODI and despite wanting to increase the depth in the bowling department, India believe Nitish is a prospect that is worth investing in. As captain Shubman Gill revealed recently, they reckon it is unfair to expect him to turn up and just bowl in overseas conditions. Instead, they prefer him to be groomed into the role, where by the time the World Cup arrives in two years time he has enough overs behind his belt. Having relied on Pandya at the previous World Cup, his absence affected the team combo, which they want to avoid going forward. Plus, with India wanting flexibility in their batting ranks, Nitish has shown in the IPL that he can be the batsman who weathers the storm and steady the ship if necessary. While he hasn’t shown enough to be considered a third seamer, Nitish for sure remains a work in progress where India feel it is the time to groom him as there aren’t many ODIs lined-up.
Axar Patel
Again, this shouldn’t even be a question as Axar has been picked over Ravindra Jadeja. An all-rounder who is high on India’s pecking order in limited overs — even ahead of Pandya, he is seen as one player who could solve multiple puzzles. Being a left-handed batsman, he is crucial to Gambhir’s favoured left-right philosophy he employs in the batting ranks. With the ability to take down the seamers and spinners, Axar is also being thrust into situations where he has to bail them out with the bat. It is what they tried to do in Perth. How much India’s team management backs his batting is evident with Gambhir taking the bold and not the popular call to demote KL Rahul to No 6. With Axar’s batting showing plenty of signs of evolving — the horizontal bat shots being a bail-out of his in conditions with bounce, there is little to fret. With the ball he has already proved his mettle and the fielding if not better than Jadeja isn’t anywhere lower than the standards he has set. It is this all-round package that Kuldeep has to fight over if there is room for just one spinner.
Washington Sundar
In a combination where there is room for two spinners that Washington Sundar got ahead of Kuldeep tells everything about this team. With none of India’s top-four being multidimensional and their pacers not being handy with the bat, the reason why India’s think-tank leans towards Washington ahead of a more attacking wrist-spinner is because they believe batting depth isn’t for compromise. In IPL, Gambhir, rightfully believed, T20s are won with the bat with the bowlers reduced to support casts. It is what Gambhir is trying to do with the ODI outfit as well in an attempt to take this side to the next level. While it may lead to someone like Kuldeep missing out, what they get out of Washington also can’t be discounted. With the ball, he has the potential to bowl even in the first powerplay and in the middle-overs — a phase where batsmen don’t buckle down anymore — can offer the control as well. Moreover, being a finger spinner can keep it simple if need be. In the batting front, there definitely needs some work to be done, particularly when it comes to power-hitting lower down the order to finish innings. He has shown he can do it in the Tests, but without game time in the IPL, it hasn’t evolved.
Given the pros and cons, one question still remains unanswered. Why a bowler’s primary skillset is being overlooked for his secondary skillset. Ashwin who endured a similar crisis offered something more: “They will talk about this batting depth. But if you want to build your game around batting depth, then the batters have to take responsibility, right? It’s the job of the batters to score the runs. If you’re playing an extra batter, it’s again about shielding the batters. Play your best bowlers. I’ll always say this: play your best bowlers. Don’t pick a team just to extend your batting.”
