Kuldeep Yadav for Champions Trophy? Spinner begins drills after injury-return
India spinner Kuldeep Yadav has returned to training after his injury lay-off. Kuldeep Yadav posted a video of himself on Instagram, captioning it ‘locked-in’. In the video, Kuldeep can be seen doing his drills in the nets.
The spinner had missed the entire Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to hernia surgery, captain Rohit Sharma had revealed. He had reported to the National Cricket Academy midway through the Test series against New Zealand and has been out of the side since.
During the New Zealand series, the BCCI had said that the spinner was being treated for a long-term groin injury.
“Kuldeep Yadav was unavailable for selection for the tour of Australia since he has been referred to the BCCI Centre of Excellence after the end of the ongoing Test series against New Zealand for long term resolution of his chronic left groin issue,” the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) had said.
Kuldeep’s return to training comes at an interesting juncture. With India playing the Champions Trophy in potentially spin-friendly pitches of Dubai, Kuldeep could be an incredible weapon for India. Given that India have not released their Champions Trophy squad yet, they might just want to bring in Kuldeep to the fold to add depth to the side.
India captain Rohit Sharma was asked about Kuldeep’s absence during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, when India spinners were failing to provide control for the side. When India needed to add a spinner to the squad, Tanush Kotiyan was given priority over Kuldeep. When asked about the same, Rohit had joked that Kuldeep did not have a VISA for Australia.
“Yeah, Tanush was here a month back. Kuldeep, I don’t think has a visa. We wanted somebody to get here as quickly as possible. Tanush was the one who was ready. That’s just a joke. He played here. He is good enough. He has shown what he has done in the last 12 years in domestic cricket. And we really wanted a back-up in case we need two spinners playing here or Sydney, you need a back-up option,” Rohit had said.
“Kuldeep, obviously, he is not 100 percent fit, he went through hernia surgery. And the other options like Axar, Axar recently had a baby, he was not going to travel. Tanush was the right option for us. He has certainly shown in the domestic level what he is capable of. He is probably one of the reasons why Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy last year. He played a major role as an all-rounder. Very good option for us, all areas are covered,” Rohit added.
