Cricket

'Where is the magician?' - Fans erupt as leading broadcaster omits in-form Kuldeep Yadav from Top 5 spinners to watch out for in World Cup 2023

Fans unhappy with leading broadcaster excluding Kuldeep Yadav from Top 5 spinners to watch out for in the ODI World Cup 2023.

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Daniel S
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Kuldeep Yadav, Tilak Varma and Rohit Sharma during Asia Cup 2023

Kuldeep Yadav, Tilak Varma and Rohit Sharma during Asia Cup 2023 (Source: Twitter)

'For every setback, there is a comeback'. Kuldeep Yadav's journey in international cricket is a perfect example of this phrase. A key member of India's 2019 World Cup squad, Kuldeep was earlier considered the primary overseas spinner for the Men in Blue. However, things haven't been the same for left-arm Chinaman since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic as he has had a very disappointing outing in both international and domestic cricket since then.

In the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Kuldeep was picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise but did not get a single chance to play. He had a similar story in a subsequent edition. With that, he lost prominence in the international arena and even lost confidence. However, the Uttar Pradesh-born cricketer made up for his shortcomings, improving his technique and slowly regaining the confidence to stage a massive comeback to international cricket.

Kuldeep was named in the Indian squad for the 2023 tour of the West Indies, where he excelled with the ball in both the ODI and T20I series. A fruitful outing in Carrreban Island earned him a place in the Asia Cup 2023 squad and the upcoming ODI World Cup. The 28-year-old did not disappoint the selectors as he continued his fine form at the continental event with five wickets against Pakistan and four against Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, Star Sports, the broadcaster of Asia Cup 2023 and World Cup 2023, has not included the Indian spin wizard in its list of Top 5 spinners to watch out for in the upcoming premier 50-over tournament. The list includes Afghanistan's Rashid Khan, Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga, India's all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, Australia's Adam Zampa and England's Adil Rashid. This did not go down well with Indian cricket fans who lashed out at the broadcaster on the X (formerly known as Twitter) platform.

The veteran spinner became the faster Indian spinner to claim 150 wickets in ODIs after his stunning performance against Sri Lanka in the Super Fours on Tuesday. He was also rewarded in the latest Men's ODI bowling rankings as he moved up five places to reach the seventh position.

Here's how fans reacted to Kuldeep Yadav's omission from Star Sports' Top 5 spinners list: 

ODI World Cup 2023 India Kuldeep Yadav World Cup 2023