Former India opener turned commentator Aakash Chopra feels that Kuldeep Yadav must play the first T20I of the five-match series against the West Indies. Praising him, he said that the injured Varun Chakravarthy is the only one who can displace him in the T20I squad.  Having won the ODI series 2-1, India will now play against the West Indies in a five-match T20I series. The first game will be played at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday, October 6.

Chopra backed Kuldeep over Bishnoi and told Cricinfo: “If there is Kuldeep Yadav in the squad, there’s only one guy who can actually displace him as a spinner. That’s Varun Chakravarthy. Varun is not there. He’s injured. He’s not available, so Kuldeep Yadav plays. In the Asian Games, he was almost like a tourist. Conditions were such. So now, he’s back. He needs to play.”

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Aakash Chopra also feels that both Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav should get chances in the playing XI in the T20I series against the West Indies. He added that the matches can be split between the two, with one pacer playing three games and the other two.

“If you want extra pace, go to Mayank. If you want continuity, again he played in Zimbabwe. So that’s Mayank Yadav. Raw pace will always excite you. But Prince Yadav, whenever he’s played, however little he has played, he’s been very impressive. So five games, three for one, two for the other. I mean just find your way,” he concluded.