"Hope selectors give Kuldeep Yadav a consistent run of chances in white-ball cricket at least"- Wasim Jaffer

Kuldeep Yadav punctured the Sri Lankan middle-order with his three wickets. (P.C.:BCCi)
Kuldeep Yadav punctured the Sri Lankan middle-order with his three wickets. (P.C.:BCCi)

Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer believes Team India should make consistent use of Kuldeep Yadav's ability to take wickets in the middle overs. The left-arm wrist-spinner delivered a player of the match performance, rattling Sri Lanka with figures of 3/51 in the second ODI.

Although Mohammed Siraj also picked up three wickets, Jaffer believes Kuldeep's three wickets really pushed the visitors back. Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, and Dasun Shanaka were all capable of taking Sri Lanka to the 300-run mark, especially when they were 102/1.

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo after the game, Wasim Jaffer explained why Kuldeep Yadav deserved at least a consistent chance in ODIs and T20Is for India. He said:

"Kuldeep broke the back of the Sri Lankan batting with those three wickets. In white-ball cricket, you need bowlers who can pick wickets in the middle overs and I hope the selectors give Kuldeep a consistent run of chances in white-ball cricket at least."

Wasim Jaffer on Kuldeep Yadav's match-winning ability

Wasim Jaffer also opened up on how disheartening it is for a player, especially when he is left out despite having made an impact. Kuldeep Yadav has had enough experience like the one in Bangladesh, where he was left out of the team in Dhaka despite being the player of the match in the first Test.

However, Jaffer applauded Kuldeep for finding a way to push himself and perform in the limited chances that came his way. On this, the former cricketer stated:

"Kuldeep deserves all the praise for producing such performances consistently in whatever little chances that he gets. He is always the first one to be dropped from the team and it's never easy to bounce back in the limited chances."

India’s squad for Sri Lanka ODIs: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (VC), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.

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