'Kuldeep Yadav can provide those crucial wickets in the middle overs that India has been missing.'
The Indian team management's decision to leave out Kuldeep Yadav invited criticism from all quarters after India's defeat in the second ODI against Australia in Adelaide on Thursday.
India suffered a two wicket defeat at the Adelaide Oval as Australia sealed the three match ODI series 2-0 with a match to spare.
While India left out Kuldeep for the second match in a row, Australia's leg-spinner Adam Zampa played a key role with the ball, picking up 4/60 to limit the Indians to 264/9 -- and was rightly named the man of the match.
Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes India erred by not picking Kuldeep.
'Kuldeep Yadav was a must for this game. Things could have been different had he been there, but the onus is on batters to score more runs. Losing two wickets in the powerplay regularly won't help the cause. Cooper Connolly is surely the one for the future for Australia,' he said on X.
Former wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel echoed similar views, saying India need a bowler like Kuldeep to strike blows in the middle overs.
'We will definitely see Kuldeep Yadav playing in the third ODI. As far as the combination is concerned, India will have to trust their top order, whether it's about performance or runs and stick with the right balance. There's no need for an extra cushion in batting.'
'Kuldeep Yadav can provide those crucial wickets in the middle overs that India has been missing. If your top-order batters get out early, that's part of the game. You can't keep adding more batters to cover for that. The focus should be on playing the best combination to win,' Patel said on JioStar's show Cricket Live.
India have preferred to include spin all-rounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar along with seam bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar to add depth to their batting. While spinners Sundar and Axar claimed combined figures of 3/89 in 17 overs, Nitish went wicketless as he conceded 24 runs from his three overs.
Former fast bowler Varun Aaron says Kuldeep must be included for the third and final ODI even if it means playing one batter less.
'Kuldeep Yadav should have been part of the playing XI right from the first game of the series. You might have to sacrifice a batsman to make that happen, but it's worth it. Playing just two fast bowlers in Australia isn't ideal, but Kuldeep is someone who can get you wickets and those wickets make up for the runs you might lose by playing one batter fewer,' he told JioStar.
'In fact, when teams go in with one less batter, it often brings more responsibility to the top order, who dig in deeper knowing there isn't as much cushion behind them.'
'India have done this before, and it's worked. Kuldeep would be a great addition because he gives you that attacking option in the middle overs.'
'At the moment, India seem to be relying on batters making mistakes to get wickets, whereas Kuldeep is a genuine wicket-taker who can create those breakthroughs on his own.'