India have kept everyone guessing about their playing XI for the first ODI against England at Trent bridge but left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav is certain to return to the playing XI.
Kuldeep, who was surprisingly excluded for the series-deciding final T20I at Bristol, mainly due to the nature of the pitch and the short boundaries, will lead India’s spin bowling attack along with leggie Yuzvendra Chahal in Trent Bridge.
“Unfortunately, he missed out on playing at Bristol. He gives us the attacking option in this format and it is a little longer format compared to T20. He will be bowling 10 overs, hopefully, he can extract turn and bounce which he did in South Africa," Indian vice-captain Rohit Sharma said on the eve of the first ODI, dropping a strong hint of Kuldeep’s return.
Kuldeep had the England middle-order in a fix, wrecking havoc in the first T20I at Old Trafford. His 5 for 24 forced England to resort to Merlyn – there know-it-all bowling machine, which can emulate any bowling style. It worked to a certain degree too as Kuldeep went wicket-less in the 2nd T20I and England levelled the series.
The real test for England and Merlyn will start from Thursday, where Kuldeep will have a quota of 10 overs to torment the English batters.