‘He’ll play major role vs Australia’ – Wasim Jaffer backs Indian bowler for the upcoming series

Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer believes that Men in Blue did a mistake by not picking Kuldeep Yadav in the Indian squad for the 2022 edition of the 20-20 World Cup.  India had Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal in the spin department and the likes of Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the pace bowling. However, Jeffers feels that Yadav should have been part of the team as well.

Kuldeep Yadav bowled a sensational spell of 5 for 40 in the ongoing first Test against Bangladesh at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. Jaffer heaped massive praise for the left-arm spinner, following his heroic performance on day 2 of the first Test.

Kuldeep Yadav brings variety to India’s bowling attack: Wasim Jaffar

“It’s very exciting to see Kuldeep Yadav bowl in this fashion. I had said earlier too that he should have been a part of the T20 World Cup as well. It was unfortunate not to see him play. The way he bowled in the Indian T20 League, I was really surprised that he was not a part of the squad. He will play a major role in the upcoming series against Australia,” Jaffer told ESPNcricinfo.

The left-arm wrist spinner bowler 16 overs in the innings and conceded just 40 runs and took five crucial wickets of Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Nurul Hasan, Taijul Islam, and Ebadot Hossain in the first innings. Kuldeep also played a crucial knock of 40 runs off 114 balls with the bat in the first innings.

“Kuldeep Yadav brings variety to India‘s bowling attack. He had great control in the Indian T20 League, bowling with a big heart against top batters. He got a lot of confidence from that, given that he had to sit on the bench the previous two seasons. He has had a lot more opportunities since coming to the Delhi franchise, and you can see that confidence coming back. He needs to be a part of the attack, especially in Indian conditions,” Jaffer added.