"Let him take a 5-wicket haul and leave the rest to the team management" - Fans praise Kuldeep Yadav after yet another noteworthy outing 

Team India spinner Kuldeep Yadav marked his return to the side with an eventful outing at a venue he is very much familiar with, the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The left-arm wrist spinner claimed impressive figures of 3-51 to induce a batting collapse in the middle overs which reduced Sri Lanka from a comfortable 102-1 to 126-6 in the space of nine overs.

Kuldeep was introduced into the attack in the 17th over, during a crucial stage of play, where Kusal Mendis and debutant Nuwanidu Fernando were finding comfort at the crease with a budding 73-run partnership for the third wicket. The spinner struck in his very first over, forcing Mendis to play all over against an arm ball, which trapped him in front. The in-form batter reviewed the lbw decision, but the umpire's call verdict sealed the wicket.

The spinner found a rhythm, bowling in tandem with Axar Patel from the other end. He claimed Dasun Shanaka's crucial wicket as the opposition skipper failed to connect with a sweep shot, resulting in the bails being dislodged. He added a third wicket to his tally with a soft caught and bowled dismissal to send Charith Asalanka back to the pavilion.

Fans were full of praise for Kuldeep, who has had to wait for his chance of late. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:

Kuldeep Yadav replaced Yuzvendra Chahal in the playing XI for the second ODI against Sri Lanka

Kuldeep's previous international appearance came during the first Test against Bangladesh in December 2022. Despite putting in a player-of-the-match performance for his eight-wicket haul in the contest, he was dropped for the second Test in place of Jaydev Unadkat.

After finding himself on the bench for the recently concluded first ODI against Sri Lanka, Kuldeep found a way back following a minor injury to Yuzvendra Chahal.

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said during the toss:

"One enforced change for us, Chahal in the last game put in a dive and hasn't recovered well today, so Kuldeep Yadav comes in."

The Men in Blue have recovered well in the contest by pulling things back in the middle overs, having reduced Sri Lanka to 206-8 after 38 overs.

It remains to be seen whether his performance in the second ODI warrants him a place in the playing XI for the series finale at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.

Should the left-arm wrist spinner be Team India's first-choice spinner moving forward? Let us know what you think.

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