"Miracle, Miracle" - Fans react as Kuldeep Yadav returns to India's playing XI for 2nd ODI vs Sri Lanka

Team India made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Kuldeep Yadav for the second ODI against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday, January 12.

Kuldeep replaced senior leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who was unavailable for selection after suffering an injury while fielding in the first ODI in Guwahati on Tuesday, January 10.

Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanka won the toss and decided to bat first. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma confirmed the same at the toss and said:

Fans were extremely happy to see Kuldeep back in the side. Many urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to give the Delhi Capitals (DC) spinner a long rope of at least 10 games to prove his potential.

Kuldeep suffered a dip in form in the last few years but bounced back last year in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, playing for the Delhi Capitals. He picked up 21 wickets in 14 games and since then, has been in a good rhythm.

The spinner played eight ODIs last year, scalping 12 wickets with the best figures of 4/18. The left-arm leg spinner has also been equally economical, shelling runs at a rate of 4.95.

He was last seen in action in the third ODI against Bangladesh in December, where he picked up one wicket.

India vs Sri Lanka Playing XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Umran Malik, Mohammed Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav.

Sri Lanka: Nuwanidu Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Avishka Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, and Lahiru Kumara.

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Ankush is a cricket journalist at Sportskeeda covering news, listicles, features, and exclusives. A graduate in Commerce and an accountant by qualification, Ankush followed his true calling for sports journalism, and today, has over 8 years of experience having working for the likes of Sportzwiki and Cricfit. Ankush places a very high emphasis on factual accuracy in his articles and believes in representing the true image of the story. Writing in the simplest and most easy-to-understand language possible, especially for those not well-versed with English, is one of his strengths.

Ankush, who captained his state in the National School games, is a big fan of Ravichandran Ashwin. He admires his unconventional thinking and his eagerness to keep learning despite being a legend of the game. His favorite cricket team is Australia because of their mentality and fighting spirit, and them beating India in the 2003 World Cup final left a lasting impression on him.

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