In just one Australian match, a well-known query has come up. “What keeps Kuldeep Yadav out of the starting lineup?” The situation in Australia is similar to that in England, when he was consistently passed over for a berth in the starting lineup by all-rounders. It may seem like a step backwards for India to return to two finger spinners after considering two wrist spinners in ODIs because they provide more alternatives for grabbing wickets in the middle overs. However, India’s preference for the bat should not be surprising in a time when limited overs are primarily won with it.
The 2027 World Cup is without a doubt the big picture, since South Africa’s bounce and seam movement will be comparable to that of Australia. Oddly enough, though, Kuldeep’s numbers in the two nations differ. In Australia, he has only taken three wickets in as many games at an average of 59, compared to an average of 15.94 with the ball in Rainbow Nation across eight games with 18 wickets. However, a spinner of Kuldeep’s caliber cannot be discounted just on those little samples.
Since both Washington and Axar are capable batsmen, I can see why they are using two spinners in addition to Nitish Reddy; they are doing so to increase batting depth. However, man, at least pay attention to the bowling as well. If Kuldeep is unable to bowl freely on these broad grounds, where will he bowl? Additionally, there will be overspin, which will give him more bounce,” R Ashwin stated on his YouTube channel.
India’s team management and selectors believe that Nitish Sharma could play a crucial role in the upcoming 2027 World Cup and T20 World Cup. Despite Hardik Pandya’s limited game time in the T20I side, India believes Nitish is worth investing in. They prefer him to be groomed into the role, allowing him to have enough overs behind his belt by the World Cup in two years. Nitish has shown in the IPL that he can be a weather-stricken batsman and steady the ship if necessary. Although he hasn’t shown enough to be considered a third seamer, India believes it’s the time to groom him as there aren’t many ODIs lined-up.
India’s all-rounder, Axar, has been chosen over Ravindra Jadeja due to his ability to solve multiple puzzles and his left-handed batsmanship. Axar is crucial to Gambhir’s left-right philosophy and can take down seamers and spinners. India’s team management supports Axar’s batting, with Gambhir not demoting KL Rahul to No 6. Axar’s batting shows signs of evolving, with horizontal bat shots being a bail-out in bounce conditions. His fielding is better than Jadeja’s, and Kuldeep must fight over his all-round package if there is room for just one spinner.
