Why is Kuldeep Yadav not playing for IND vs SA in 1st T20I in Cuttack?
India have left out their wicket-taking bowler in the shortest format, Kuldeep Yadav, for the first T20I against South Africa at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. Bumrah, Varun and Arshdeep are among the specialist bowlers in the side. Here's why Kuldeep is not playing:
The first T20I between India and South Africa got underway today at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, even as the visitors won the toss and opted to bowl first. Meanwhile, India have left out their key wicket-taker in the format, Kuldeep Yadav, from the playing XI which is surprising as the wrist spinner is among the best in the format for the country.
Kuldeep's exclusion from the line-up with only 10 T20Is to go before the T20 World Cup raises a lot of questions as India continue to look for batting depth instead of specialists. In the first T20I, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel are the all-rounders playing and they also strengthen the batting line-up. The specialists included for the match are - Varun Chakavarthy, Arshdeep SIngh and Jasprit Bumrah.
Surya was confused at the toss
Interestingly, Suryakumar Yadav was not sure at the toss and was ready to bat first as well. However, he admitted that the dew factor will play a massive role later in the evening.
"I mean, we were a little confused looking at the wicket. Yesterday it was looking a little more greener, but today we were a little confused. But it’s okay, we’re happy to bat first. It gives a good challenge to put runs on the board and come out here and defend. I mean, see, it (dew factor) becomes a little challenging for the bowlers - you can’t run away from the fact," he said at the toss.
As for the South Africa skipper Aiden Markram, he had no hesitation in bowling first and even he stressed the dew factor later in the evening. He also noted the importance of playing this series so close to the World Cup.
"Expecting conditions to be good here in India. Quite a bit of dew around, might be a constant throughout the game but might get a bit worse later. (Quick turnaround time between formats) It's the way things work, lot of the games end up being played in the mind, need to get yourself in the right frame of mind. Fantastic build-up to the World Cup. From a conditions point of view, it's going to be great. You can’t simulate these, certainly not back in South Africa, so that’s a massive thing," Markram said.
Playing XIs
India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma(w), Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh
South Africa (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje
More to follow...