Former Indian batter Abhinav Mukund believes veteran spinner Kuldeep Yadav could seal a spot as Team India’s frontline spinner for the 2027 ODI World Cup as well. Mukund said this after Kuldeep delivered a match-winning spell in the first India-West Indies ODI in Thiruvananthapuram, where he finished with excellent figures of 4/40 in 10 overs.

Mukund said on his Instagram handle: “The massive positive for India is the re-emergence of Kuldeep Yadav. Yes, India will have Axar Patel and Washington Sundar coming back. But who’s their specialist spinner for South Africa? Kuldeep Yadav will do wonders if he continues this form over the course of the next year or so. If he does, he’ll seal his spot for next year’s World Cup.”

Abhinav Mukund believes Team India is still searching for their best combination for next year’s ODI World Cup in South Africa. As a result, Naman Dhir debuted in the series opener against the West Indies and bowled five overs of part-time off-spin but failed to pick up a wicket and conceded 33 runs.

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“For the ODI World Cup, India are still trying to lock in their best combination. With that combination in mind, India are trying a few options. Hence, Naman Dhir made his debut and bowled a few overs,” said Mukund. “India should try out a few more combinations. They should try and see if they can play with six batters and five specialist bowlers. They should see if that is a possibility and tinker around their combination a little bit. Maybe play Siraj in the next game and give another bowler a break.”

“It was a privilege to watch him score 139 in a 296-run chase and complete 15,000 runs in the bargain. Kohli was at the peak of his powers. Lots of sixes in the innings and an absolute masterclass. He now averages over 90 in successful ODI run-chases. India looked great, and his 139 was the icing on the cake,” concluded Mukund.