Coming into the 2024 men's T20 World Cup, many had backed Kuldeep Yadav to be among the tournament's top wicket-takers. However, he hasn't stepped on the pitch for any games so far. Will India bring him in for the Super Eights? Rahul Iyer explains how they could do it.
Eyebrows were raised last month, when India announced that they would be taking four spinners to the tournament; left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep, right-arm leggie Yuzvendra Chahal and left-arm spin bowling all-rounders Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. Captain Rohit Sharma stated in a press conference that the idea was to keep their options open, with different combinations possible.
For the first three matches of the group stage, India went with an unchanged lineup consisting of both Axar and Jadeja as the spinners and three frontline pacers in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj and Arshdeep Singh. Hardik Pandya was the fourth seamer, with Shivam Dube a potential fifth option if required. The fourth game against Canada was washed out; whether there were plans to give the other squad members (including Kuldeep and/or Chahal) game time after securing qualification is anybody's guess.
Why should India bring Kuldeep Yadav into the team?
The Men in Blue have Super Eight games scheduled in Barbados (vs Afghanistan), Antigua (vs Bangladesh) and St Lucia (vs Australia). All three matches are to take place in the morning (10:30am start), so the dew factor is taken out of the equation. St Lucia has been particularly amenable to run-scoring so far with first-innings scores of 180, 201 and 218. The wicket in Antigua has given spinners significant help, while Barbados lies somewhere in between the two. So there is a chance to bring in another spinner in the form of Kuldeep or Chahal (or both, if Rohit's words at the press conference are to be taken at face value).
Read more: What is each team’s Super Eights schedule and path to the T20 World Cup final?
If India decide to play only one of the two going forward, it is likely to be Kuldeep. Chahal was called up to the squad on the back of his performance in this year's IPL, which tailed off towards the back end of the season. In addition, his last match in any format for India came nearly a year ago, in August 2023. Kuldeep has consistently been a part of India's lineup in all formats, and has been in hot form this calendar year as his solid IPL campaign was preceded by an excellent home Test series against England. His flatter trajectory and left-arm angle also make Kuldeep more difficult to line up and hit, compared to Chahal.
So how can India get him in the team?
Option A: Replace a seamer
The first avenue available to India is to play Kuldeep in place of a pace bowler, meaning Arshdeep Singh or Mohammed Siraj will have to sit out as Jasprit Bumrah is irreplaceable. It means Hardik Pandya becomes the third seamer, and there are three spin options in Kuldeep, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja.
The main advantage for India in this case is they do not lose out on batting depth. They still bat till eight, with the last three all capable of contributing 7-8 runs each. It also takes off the burden of relying on Axar and Jadeja for middle-overs breakthroughs. There can now be further role clarity, with run containment being taken up by the finger spinners and Kuldeep attempting to pick up wickets.
The downside, though, is that it leaves the death bowling slightly light. India may have to backload Bumrah's overs in this case, meaning Hardik Pandya will take the new ball with Arshdeep/Siraj. He is not the worst option, but against an opposition like Australia, the likes of Travis Head and David Warner are capable of taking him on successfully. It is also a trade-off that is almost surely worth it at venues which are likely to assist seam-bowling up front.
Option B: Replace an all-rounder
If India are keen on retaining their team composition with three frontline pacers, the only way to include Kuldeep is in place of one of the spin-bowling all-rounders; Axar Patel or Ravindra Jadeja. The obvious downside here is that India's tail gets longer. Kuldeep himself has improved with the bat of late, but is still probably not a great choice at No.8.
What this does, though, is give Rohit Sharma options with the pace attack. Between Bumrah, Arshdeep, Siraj and Pandya, bowling in the Powerplay and the death overs is more or less covered, and ensures India can stick to the way they have structured the attack in the tournament thus far.
Based on performances in the competition, Jadeja is probably the more replaceable of the two here. He has bowled just three overs in three matches and his only outing with the bat saw him dismissed for a golden duck. Axar, meanwhile, has picked up three wickets and played a solid knock from No.4 against Pakistan. This ability to play multiple roles with the bat is what might tip a decision in his favour.
Read more: How have India performed in the Super Eight stage at previous T20 World Cups?
In summary, India have two ways to include Kuldeep in the playing XI, if that is their primary objective. At this point, it seems that bringing him in for one of the quicks is the more likely option, as it enables India to bowl 12 overs of spin or seam depending on how a track plays on the day.
In addition, this team management has reiterated on multiple occasions its preference for batting depth, which is retained if Kuldeep replaces Arshdeep or Siraj. It is difficult to envision a scenario in which both Kuldeep and Chahal play, which begs the question as to why both of them were selected in the squad, especially at the expense of a specialist death-overs bat like Rinku Singh.
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