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Team India spinner Kuldeep Yadav was surprisingly not picked for the first ODI against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth despite his recent good performances in the white-ball format. The left-arm wrist-spinner has again not been included in the visitors' playing XI for the second ODI in Adelaide as they hope to level the three-game series after losing in Perth.
The 30-year-old was the leading wicket-taker during Asia Cup 2025 hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), picking up 17 scalps in seven innings at 9.29 apiece, including match-winning spells against Pakistan in all three matches. Hence, his snub from the playing XI from the series-opener against Australia was a massive surprise.
Shubman Gill's bad luck with the toss continued as Mitchell Marsh won the toss in Adelaide. The hosts have made three changes, drafting in Alex Carey, Adam Zampa, Xavier Bartlett for Josh Philippe, Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Ellis.
"I am advocating for Kuldeep Yadav because he is such an attacking option" - Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan backed Kuldeep's inclusion in the XI. (Image Credits: Getty)Speaking on his YouTube channel ahead of the second ODI, former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan suggested that the tourists could bring in the left-arm wrist-spinner either by dropping Washington Sundar or leaving out one of the three pacers. He elaborated:
"How can we make space for Kuldeep Yadav in the team? According to me, India has 2 ways to include Kuldeep in the playing XI. Firstly, they can bring him in for Washington Sundar. Otherwise, one of three pacers, Siraj, Arshdeep, or Rana, has to sit out. With this option, India has the batting depth that they prefer since Sundar will be there at No. 8 and Reddy will become the third seamer. I am advocating for Kuldeep Yadav because he is such an attacking option. We saw even in Perth that a spinner took a wicket; it isn’t as if spinners cannot function there."The Men in Blue will take confidence playing in Adelaide, where they defeated Australia the last time the two sides featured in an ODI at the venue in 2019.
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Edited by Sooryanarayanan Sesha
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