Srinagar: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes India should bring back Kuldeep Yadav for the second ODI against Australia, scheduled for Thursday, October 23, at the Adelaide Oval.
India went into the opening match without a specialist spinner, relying instead on all-rounders Washington Sundar and Axar Patel to share the spin duties. While Sundar made 10 runs off 10 balls and took one wicket in two overs, debutant Harshit Rana had a mixed outing, conceding 27 runs in four overs.
Pathan, analyzing India’s performance on his YouTube channel, said the team could benefit from reintroducing Kuldeep into the lineup. He proposed two possible scenarios:
Option 1: Replace Washington Sundar with Kuldeep Yadav, which would allow India to retain depth in batting up to No. 8.
Option 2: Rest one of the three pacers—Rana, Arshdeep Singh, or Mohammed Siraj—to make room for the in-form left-arm wrist spinner.
The former cricketer emphasized that either combination would give India a balanced side with both bowling variety and batting stability.
Kuldeep has been in remarkable form recently, winning the Player of the Tournament in the T20 Asia Cup 2025 and the Player of the Series in the home Test series against the West Indies. Against Australia in ODIs, he has taken three wickets in as many matches, maintaining an economy rate of 5.90 on their home soil.
Apart from recommending Kuldeep’s inclusion, Pathan suggested no other changes for the second ODI.
Irfan Pathan’s Predicted India XI for 2nd ODI vs Australia:
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav/Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana/Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
