'Yuzi ka downfall wedding ke baad shuru ho gaya hai' - Fans react as Sanjay Manjrekar prefers Kuldeep Yadav over Yuzvendra Chahal for 2023 ODI World Cup

Sanjay Manjrekar, Kuldeep Yadav & Yuzvendra Chahal (Source: Twitter)

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has picked Kuldeep Yadav over Yuzvendra Chahal as his first-choice wrist-spinner in the ODIs. Manjrekar's comments came ahead of the West Indies tour, which will serve as a warm-up for the Men in Blue before the ODI World Cup later this year.

Manjrekar feels that Kuldeep has a better ability to take wickets in the 50-over format as batters are not forced to play big shots like in T20. The right-handed batter's views emphasise Chahal's remarkable stats in the Indian Premier League, where he is the leading wicket-taker.

"I see Chahal being part of the squad but I prefer Kuldeep Yadav when it comes to wrist-spin as the spinner in 50-over cricket. I am getting a little technical here. You need a spinner who can get wickets of batters while they are pushing, not hitting the big shots," Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo.

"In T20 cricket, that is something you see very often. That's how spinners get wickets. In 50-overs cricket, it's a game where you push more than you actually slog. So a spinner capable of getting those wickets is Kuldeep Yadav. So he is sort of my first-choice wrist-spinner in the playing XI and then I will be looking at other options," he added.

Will both Chahal and Kuldeep play in the West Indies series?

Asked if India could field two wrist spinners in their ODI XI, Manjrekar said it was highly unlikely to happen. "I don't think so. Very rarely it can happen depending on the opposition. If there is a real weakness in the opposition to play wrist-spin, then you have Kuldeep Yadav and Chahal both playing in the XI," the 57-year-old said.

Both Kuldeep and Chahal have been included in the ODI squad for the West Indies series in July. It will be interesting to see if the duo will feature together in the playing XI for the three-match ODI series.

Here's how fans reacted to Sanjay Manjrekar choosing Kuldeep Yadav over Yuzvendra Chahal for the 2023 World Cup:

Yuzi Bhai Ka Downfall Wedding Ke Baad Shuru Ho Gaya Hai

— Shivraj (@EeSalaCupNahi) July 1, 2023

Bishnoi ko sab bhool gaye hai kya

— Piyush Agarwal (@pyush141) July 1, 2023

Kuldeep is very talented bowler don’t know why he is out of the team.

— Mohsin (@TheCricketPath) July 1, 2023

Chahal is only good at Chinnaswamy.

— Zain Malik (@malik_zain987) July 1, 2023

Yes , because he can take babar azam wicket again in this world cup 🌚🔥👍 Big W

— Sunanda R. Phadatare (@r_phadatare) July 1, 2023

Chahal deserves atleast one chance in WC🥲

He is due for one for long

— msd_stan (@bdrijalab) July 1, 2023

Feeling sad for nice person chahal, that man is losing his place everywhere.

— Shubman Gang (@ShubmanGang) July 1, 2023

Kuldeep owns karachi ka Bradman

— Mr. Vampire (@_CaptainKohli) July 1, 2023

Kuldeep>>>>Chahal in ODIs for sure.

— Sachin Rout (@RoutSachin) July 1, 2023