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Explained: Why India dropped Kuldeep Yadav for 1st ODI vs Australia despite stellar form

Anurag Dasgupta

Why was Kuldeep Yadav ignored [Source: AFP Photo] Why was Kuldeep Yadav ignored [Source: AFP Photo]

The wait is over as India will lock horns with Australia in the first ODI of the series in Perth. The visitors will view the series as the perfect preparation for the 2027 World Cup, as the conditions will be the same. At toss time, Mitch Marsh called it right as he won the coin flip and decided to put India into bat under overcast conditions.

India made a surprising call by dropping Kuldeep Yadav from the playing XI, and this raised eyebrows as Kuldeep was India’s star performer in the Asia Cup and the West Indies Tests.

Why India snubbed Kuldeep Yadav from playing XI?

  • India going in with three all-rounders: Gautam Gambhir loves playing all-rounders in the squad, and he has gone in with Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy in the playing XI. The trio will also strengthen the batting of the side against a quality Australian attack, and hence, there is no place for Kuldeep as Axar and Washington will do the job of a spinner.
  • Overcast conditions that will not benefit the spinners: It is overcast in Perth, and rain could arrive anytime. The overcast conditions tend to favour the seamers as they extract lateral movement, and with the Optus Stadium pitch having extra bounce, there is no need for a plethora of spinners in the XI. Hence, India have also gone in with three proper pacers to use the overcast conditions.
  • More bounce for finger spinners: It is often seen in Australia that traditional spinners hardly get any assistance, and finger spinners have more domination. Washington Sundar can be that solution for India as the off-break bowler has the tendency to generate extra bounce from the surface, something which Kuldeep might not be able to do.