India registered a dominant victory over West Indies in the first ODI of the three-match series on Sunday in Thiruvananthapuram. Opting to bat first, West Indies posted 295/7 in their allotted 50 overs, with Justin Greaves scoring a century. In response, the hosts chased down the target with ease as Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill struck centuries to guide India to an eight-wicket win. While Kohli’s magnificent unbeaten 139 earned widespread praise, it was spinner Kuldeep Yadav who was named Player of the Match for his impressive spell with the ball.
Returning to the Indian side after a brief absence, Kuldeep starred with a four-wicket haul and played a crucial role in preventing West Indies from crossing the 300-run mark. Praising the left-arm wrist-spinner, former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin said Kuldeep should be a part of India’s squad for the ODI World Cup in South Africa next year.
“Forget the four wickets. Many people are saying this is his comeback. It is nothing like that. He has almost 200 wickets. He has been a champion spinner and we cannot go to South Africa without him,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel .
“He was a very good bowler, he is a very good bowler, and he will continue to be a very good bowler. I will not agree to anything otherwise. This West Indies batting lineup is no match for Kuldeep Yadav’s skill. But I am very happy that he went and played County cricket, picked wickets, and you can see the results again. Being Kuldeep is not easy, but the rhythm that he showed, I am very happy,” he added.
Kuldeep was left out of the playing XI for the three-match ODI series against England in July and subsequently featured in only one match during the T20I series against Afghanistan. The ODI against West Indies marked his return to the side, and he made an immediate impact with a match-winning performance.
The second ODI between India and West Indies will be played on Wednesday, September 30 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati.