Kuldeep in the mix big time for World Cup, says Shastri
NEWDELHI:Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav’s sensational show in his first Test on Australian soil makes him India’s first-choice spinner when it comes to selecting the playing eleven for the World Cup in England, feels coach Ravi Shastri.
Kuldeep claimed a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the drawn final Test in Sydney and the wrist spinner received accolades from his chief coach.
“Kuldeep comes into the mix big time now (in the World Cup),” Shastri said in a TV interview.
“He might be in every Indian XI that plays (in the World Cup) because he has the advantage as a wrist spinner. We might need to choose between the other two finger spinners because wrist spinner now is the priority.”
(Besides leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin are in the fray.)
Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant was the second highest scorer for India in the Tests and shone behind the stumps. However, the 21-year-old has not been included in the squad for the ODIs in Australia and the limited-overs tour of New Zealand that follows.
PANT’S ROLE
Shastri said Pant has been given the specific job of learning to finish games, which will be important in the World Cup.
“We ‘ve asked him to go back because he has been playing nonstop. I think he needs a break for a couple of weeks and (can) then join the India A team,” he said.
“He has been asked to do a specific job, to get into the habit of finishing off matches and he will be right there in the mix.”
Shastri again slammed critics. “There has been no Indian team that has won in three countries in a year.
“Who cares what people say? Look at the scoreboard, look at the results and rest is history, you can keep jabbering away.
“I always believed the people who jabber away are in a minority. You don’t know the millions of fans this Indian cricket team has.
“’Thank you for picking us up when we are down and you outnumber the jabbering crowd.’”