India captain Rohit Sharma explained the decision to rest Kuldeep Yadav for the first two ODIs against Australia, saying that they want to “preserve” the star wrist-spinner as much as possible ahead of the ODI World Cup. Notably, Kuldeep was among a few selected stars to be rested for the first two ODIs and will return to the squad for the third ODI against Australia. Kuldeep managed to take nine wickets at an impressive average of 11.44 and an economical bowling rate of 3.61 in five Asi Cup matches and was awarded the Man of the Tournament.
Kuldeep produced back-to-back match-winning performances in the Asia Cup Super 4s: first, a remarkable five-wicket haul against Pakistan, contributing significantly to India’s colossal 228-run victory, and second, his crucial four-wicket contribution in India’s determined defense of a modest 213-run target against Sri Lanka. Kuldeep’s exceptional control and diverse range of bowling skills garnered praise from both coaches and experts in the field.
“Kuldeep is a rhythm bowler, we all know that. But we thought of a lot of things and took this call. His bowling is going well, like Ajit [Agarkar] said, we had to give players a chance, especially those who played just one game at the Asia Cup and are in the World Cup squad,” India captain Rohit Sharma said in the press conference.
“We have been looking at Kuldeep for the last one, one and a half years. That is why we don’t want to expose him a lot. He is coming back for the last match. There are a lot of reasons. This is the best decision for us, to have him sit out for two games and play the third. We also have two practice matches [before the World Cup opener], so for the bowling rhythm, he will be back in it,” Rohit added.
