Social media platforms surged with backlash shortly after India won the toss and elected to bowl, fielding an attack comprising seamers Arshdeep Singh, Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj, and Gurnoor Brar, alongside spin-bowling all-rounders Axar Patel and Naman Dhir.
The omission sparked bewilderment among observers because Yadav entered the bilateral series on an exceptional white-ball run. During India’s recent home ODI rubber against the West Indies, the 31-year-old spinner operated as the linchpin of India’s middle overs.
Yadav opened that three-match series with a match-defining haul of four for 40 in 10 overs at Thiruvananthapuram, dismantling the West Indies middle order to set up a comfortable Indian victory. In the subsequent fixture in Guwahati, he claimed two for 65 amidst an aggressive batting blitz in which the visitors posted 405 runs.
During that spell, Yadav dismissed Keemo Paul to cross the milestone of 200 ODI career wickets. He reached the 200-wicket mark in just 6,319 deliveries, making him the third-fastest spinner in ODI history to achieve the feat behind only Saqlain Mushtaq and Rashid Khan. He concluded the campaign with seven wickets in three outings after adding another scalp in Mullanpur.
Despite these exploits, Indian team strategists opted for a batting-heavy lower order and additional seam options, banking on Eden Park’s shorter straight boundaries and bouncy surface.
Fans widely condemned the exclusion of India’s premier strike spinner, with several branding the selection snub as "generational talent wasted" given the bowler’s match-winning pedigree.
Here are some reactions:
Shubman Gill defends India's playing XI after leaving out Kuldeep Yadav in 1st ODI vs New Zealand
India captain Shubman Gill defended the team management’s tactical blueprint at the toss on Wednesday, pointing to venue conditions as the primary reason for leaving premier wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav out of the playing XI.
At the time of writing, New Zealand is at 34 for one after 6.3 overs, with Will Young back in the hut.
Edited by Ankush Das
