Kuldeep and Chahal haven't played together since the 2019 ICC World Cup.
Indian wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav explained team management’s move to not slot him and his partner, Yuzvendra Chahal, in the same playing XI anymore.
The duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal also called 'Kul-Cha' became the leading spinners for Team India and their performances even led to R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja sitting out of the limited-overs setup.
The duo was a regular pair in India's limited-overs set-up until the 2019 World Cup as they formed a lethal partnership, becoming top wicket-takers for India at their peak. Kuldeep and Chahal featured in 34 ODIs together and worked in tandem to pick 118 wickets.
Chahal says he and Kuldeep could have played together if Jadeja was a medium pacer
But in recent times their performances haven't been up to the usual mark and the duo have not been played in the same playing XI for nearly two years.
In an interaction with Crictracker, Kuldeep Yadav admitted that team combination matters a lot and he feels that R Jadeja brings balance with both bat and ball and it’s always difficult to choose between the duo featuring him and Jadeja.
“Yes, it depends on what the team wants. Team combination matters a lot and I personally feel Jadeja brings a lot of depth in the batting. He scores both with bat and ball. So, it is always tough to choose between him and us,” Kuldeep Yadav said.
Yadav feels that he should be playing more games because being benched for long time results in a lack of rhythm and confidence. He added that the last two years have been very difficult for him.
“I just think I should be playing more games because when you don’t do that, you tend to lack both rhythm and confidence. While being in regular touch, you are always high. Yes, the last two years were difficult and very different for me,” he said.
Yadav remarked that he didn’t get many opportunities to feature in the playing XI and admitted that sometimes a player needs to sacrifice his spot to bring balance to the team.
"I didn’t get a chance due to the team combination and sometimes you need to sacrifice your spot as well. However, some games didn’t go in my favour but you always need to work hard and keep the momentum going, your time will probably come,” he said.
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Kuldeep Yadav labelled the Indian team management 'supportive' and also said that coach Ravi Shastri and skipper Virat Kohli keep talking to him.
“Team management has been very supportive in these times. The best thing is that they always tell me about things happening in the team or what they want right now. Virat and Ravi Bhai also keep talking to me regularly and tell me the things needed in the match. Bharat Arun has also been supportive alongside management," he concluded.
Both Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal might be seen in action when India’s white-ball team tours to Sri Lanka for T20Is and ODIs in July.
(Crictracker inputs)