“I think he’ll feature in Chennai” – AB de Villiers backs Kuldeep Yadav for IND vs AUS 3rd ODI in Chennai

AB de Villiers has backed Kuldeep Yadav to play in the ODI series decider between India and Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, March 22. The former South Africa captain reckons that the left-arm wrist-spinner could come in handy in spin-friendly conditions at the venue.

For the uninitiated, the Chepauk pitch is normally dry and hard, which breaks down as time passes. There is no tinge of grass to aid pacers.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers said:

“In the bowling department, I have seen Kuldeep Yadav bowl well. I think he'll feature in Chennai. There's a bit of turn. He gives that flight, takes it both ways. It's tough to pick him, so he'll be a force to reckon with.”

Kuldeep Yadav has so far failed to deliver in the first two ODIs against the Aussies, picking up a solitary wicket in the first ODI, which Team India won by five wickets. He, however, has scalped 12 wickets in seven ODIs this year.

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“Never count the Aussies out” – AB de Villiers warns Team India despite having spinners like Kuldeep Yadav

AB de Villiers further warned Team India not to take the Aussies lightly despite having the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja in challenging conditions in Chennai.

He said:

“I would go with India because of the Chennai wicket and how well they play there but never count the Aussies out. They are very competitive.”

The 39-year-old hailed Aussie speedster Mitchell Starc for his five-wicket haul in the second ODI against Team India, which the Aussies won by 10 wickets.

He said:

“On the Aussies' [side], we saw what Mitchell Starc did in that last game. I loved watching him bowl. Hopefully, he'll get a little bit of reverse swing in Chennai. If he doesn't, he puts a little bit of pace on the ball. I think he'll be pretty easy to face, then he needs to move around. He's quick, competitive, and tries hard.”

While Team India have won seven out of 13 ODIs in Chennai, Australia have lost only one out of their five games at the venue.

The two teams last faced off at the stadium in September 2017, when Team India won by 26 runs. The Aussies won their last ODI series in India in 2018-19 by a margin of 3-2 (five-match ODI series).