Yuzvendra Chahal explains how Hardik Pandya’s injury ruined his pairing with Kuldeep Yadav

From the end of the 2017 Champions Trophy through to the culmination of 2019 World Cup, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav played together 34 of India’s 63 ODIs and 10 of their 34 T20Is. In ODIs, especially, the wrist-spin duo seemed to have resolved India’s longstanding issue, the inability to take wickets through the middle-overs and jeopardise opposition batting plans.

Chahal and Kuldeep picked up over 100 ODI wickets collectively in the matches played together in that two-year period, including India’s impressive series wins in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

However, since India’s semi-final loss at the 2019 World Cup, the ‘Kulcha’ have hardly played together and have both lost their ways in their respective careers. Explaining what went wrong and why they don’t play together anymore, one of the two central figures, Yuzvendra Chahal, said it was the injury to all-rounder Hardik Pandya that proved to be a turning point.

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Yuzvendra Chahal explains how Hardik Pandya’s injury ruined his pairing with Kuldeep Yadav

Until his back injury that required surgery in late 2018, Hardik used to consistently deliver 10 overs in ODIs and bowl his full quota in T20Is on most days, which meant that India could play Chahal alongside Kuldeep without worrying about their bowling and batting depth.

But with Hardik going out of the scene for a lengthy period, India had to tweak their balance, bring back Ravindra Jadeja and place him at No.7 or No.8. Yuzvendra Chahal said since the team management felt wary of fielding three spinners, especially away from home, one of him and Kuldeep had to miss out. And even when Hardik returned, Jadeja’s exciting all-round development meant that Virat Kohli and company persisted with him.

“When Kuldeep Yadav and I used to play, Hardik Pandya was also there and he would bowl. In 2018 Hardik Pandya got injured and Ravindra Jadeja made a comeback (in white-ball cricket) as an all-rounder, the one who could also bat at number 7. Unfortunately, he is a spinner, we could have played together if he was a medium pacer. It was the demand of the team,” Yuzvendra Chahal told Sports Tak in an interview.

Since the start of the 2019 World Cup, Chahal and Kuldeep have struggled for the same level of impact they had at the start of their careers, bringing India back to square one with regards to their wicket-taking issue through the middle-overs. It has led to calls for the selectors and the management to spread the net wider and look for spin alternatives in the circuit.

But Yuzvendra Chahal said it’s the inconsistency of game time and uncertainty as to when exactly they are playing next that has held him and Kuldeep back.

“Kuldeep and I played 50-50 matches in any series. Sometimes he would play 3 matches of a five-match series, sometimes I would get the chance. The team combination is needed, 11 players make a team and ‘Kul-cha’ was not making it,” Chahal said.

“We were there till Hardik was there, we were also given chances. The need of the team was to have an all-rounder at No. 7 position. I am happy even if I am not playing but the team is winning,” he added.