The curious case of Kuldeep Yadav: With the 2027 ODI World Cup in sight, India need their first wicketkeeper back in form

India head coach Gautam Gambhir looks on as Kuldeep Yadav, left, warms up before the start of play on the first day of a Test match between Afghanistan and India in New Chandigarh, India, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo) TimesofIndia.com in Chennai: There is no doubt that there is no better sight when singing than Kuldeep Yadav throwing those chinamans. The hop, skip, jump into the bowling wicket, the flight and spin he imparts on the ball is a sight to behold. But over the years, he could never cement his place in the Indian team due to various reasons.Kuldeep’s case has always been a curious one. He is the highest bowler in the current ODI setup and is just six wickets away from reaching 200 ODI wickets. The 31-year-old has an exceptional record in the format. He has 194 wickets in 121 matches and takes a wicket every 31 balls. His economy rate is slightly on the higher side, but he has always been India’s main wicket option in the middle spin. In the ongoing series, Kuldeep has played only one match in Lucknow and while he hasn’t bowled badly, he has not been anywhere near the rhythm he has often hit in the past. Manav Suthar and Washington Sundar beat him in the one-off Test against Afghanistan and Harsh Dubey was picked ahead of him in the rain-curtailed ODI in Dharamsala.Ahead of the Chennai ODI, while India are expected to rotate their batting line-ups and pacers, the onus will be on Kuldeep to find his groove. Team India’s spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutale was in Kuldeep’s ear for almost every ball bowled by Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma in the nets.Bahutale watched Kuldeep closely, whether it was his run-up, delivery or the spin he was giving the ball. Kuldeep thrives on confidence and the management of this team surely knows that if India are to do well in the mid-overs in the 2027 ODI World Cup, the Chinese will depend a lot. No one in this bowling attack is as capable of taking wickets against the run of play as Kuldeep. Jasprit Bumrah can do this to some extent, but even he cannot be relied upon to provide breakthroughs in the middle overs as consistently as Kuldeep. In the pre-match press conference, India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate made it clear that the management will continue to back Kuldeep as they believe he remains India’s trump card.“The wickets are always there and I thought he bowled really well last night. He hasn’t had a consistent run of games for a while, even in Test cricket, so there’s no real concern about him,” Doeschate said of Kuldeep’s dip in form.“We always like to play a wrist spinner or a mystery spinner. As the game evolves, the onus is on the spinners to keep reinventing themselves. Kuldeep, along with our other spinners in the Test team, has put a lot of work into the tactical side of the game and batting. I think Kuldeep is doing really well,” he added.The Chennai ODI may not define Kuldeep Yadav’s future, but it could be the first step towards rediscovering the rhythm that has made him India’s biggest weapon at the wicket of the middle wickets. With the road to the 2027 ODI World Cup getting busier from here, India need to fire their first wrist spinner again. Sooner rather than later.