'Certainly on my mind to get them back together' - Rohit Sharma on 'great performers' Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal

India will be facing West Indies in the first of the three-match ODI series at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 6. While all eyes will be on Rohit Sharma, who will be leading the team for the very first time in the One Day Internationals, the focus will also be on another player who is making a comeback to the national team and could also be reunited with his bowling partner as well as a good friend. The player in focus is none other than the chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav.

Kuldeep is making his comeback to the Indian team after a short hiatus. He had last donned the national jersey during the away limited-overs series against Sri Lanka last year. At the same time, it would be interesting to see whether the left-arm spinner would once again be bowling in tandem with leggie Yuzvendra Chahal. Meanwhile, skipper Rohit has made it clear that bringing ‘KulCha’ back in action is certainly in his scheme of things.

Both Kuldeep and Chahal are important: Rohit Sharma

“Kuldeep and Chahal have been great performers for us in the past and they have created an impact in those years whenever they have played together, in the middle they were left out because of the combination we wanted to get. It is certainly on my mind to get them back together, Kuldeep especially,” said Rohit Sharma during the press conference ahead of the first ODI.

“We want to get Kuldeep in slowly, we do not want him to be rushed. It is important to give him some time to come into his own groove, we do not want to put him in a situation where we are asking too much from him also. I think for us, it is important that we handle the situation carefully. Both these players are important. Chahal played in South Africa and Kuldeep has just gotten back into the squad. Kuldeep needs to play a lot of games to get his rhythm back and we understand that,” he added.

Kuldeep Yadav and Chahal were the permanent members of India’s limited-overs set up after the 2017 Champions Trophy and had worked in tandem during the team’s home as well as away series. The duo was one of the key reasons why the Men In Blue were able to register their record seventh Asia Cup crown in 2018 in the UAE. However. after the 2019 World Cup, the spin twins have hardly been seen playing together in blues.