In the wake of a shoddy performance in the second ODI against New Zealand, India's ace spinner Kuldeep Yadav has found a staunch ally in his longtime teammate Yuzvendra Chahal. Despite entering the series as India's premier wicket-taking threat, Kuldeep has found it difficult to find his rhythm against the Kiwi batters, leading to growing scrutiny over his recent form and effectiveness on home soil.
Yuzvendra Chahal comes to Kuldeep Yadav's rescue
The statistics highlight a challenging stretch for the left-arm spinner, who has managed only two wickets across the first two matches. His outing in Rajkot was particularly grueling; he conceded 82 runs in his 10-over quota as Daryl Mitchell and Will Young aggressively targeted his variations. This brings his series average to a high 67, with a total of 134 runs conceded across 19 overs.
ALSO READ: Watch USA pacer's aggressive celebration after knocking Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's stumps
Kuldeep Yadav is no.1 SPINNER in whole WORLD: Chahal
Despite these struggles, Chahal took to social media to offer a public show of solidarity and boost his partner's morale. In a heartwarming post on X, Chahal bypassed the recent criticism to label Kuldeep the best spinner in the world across all three formats. The post serves as a reminder of the strong "Kul-Cha" bond, reaffirming Chahal’s belief in Kuldeep’s world-class ability ahead of the series-decider in Indore.
"Kuldeep Yadav is no.1 SPINNER in whole WORLD! #Champion #AnyFormat @imkuldeep18," said Chahal on X.
The historic 'Kul-Cha' partnership remains one of India’s most successful spin duos in recent ODI history. During the 70 matches they played together, the pair was nearly unstoppable, combining for a total of 130 wickets. Individually, Kuldeep led the partnership with 70 dismissals, while Chahal provided vital support from the other end with 60 wickets, proving their effectiveness as a tandem unit.
ALSO READ: Australia's veteran pacer announces sudden retirement ahead of BBL clash, to play in England now
Ryan Ten Doeschate expects better show in third ODI
Looking ahead to the high-stakes series decider in Indore on January 18, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has made it clear that the team expects a significant turnaround from the spin department. Following the disappointing returns in Rajkot, where the spinners struggled to contain New Zealand’s middle order, the coaching staff is banking on the specialists to find their rhythm and exploit the conditions to secure the series trophy.
“We probably want to bowl a little bit better than we did tonight,” ten Doeschate said at the post-match press conference.