India have qualified for the semi-finals after the win against West Indies in the final Super 8 match. Despite reaching the semi-final, India have not looked threatening with the ball throughout the tournament and there are plenty of questions surrounding it. India could pick up just one wicket in the first eleven overs against West Indies in the last game. They conceded 184 against Zimbabwe before that and in the Super 8 match against South Africa they let the opposition score more than 185 after having them 20/3 in the first four overs. Especially in the middle overs, India have struggled to pick up wickets and contain runs.
So a big question ahead of the semi-final against England will be whether India should include Kuldeep in the Playing XI for this crucial match. There are different ways to look at it. Varun Chakaravarthy is the lead spinner for India and despite being out of form he will be the Number 1 choice and he can be backed to come good in the final two games. But, Axar Patel has not done much or looked effective in this WT20 with the ball so therein lies an opportunity for India to play Kuldeep Yadav.
Kuldeep is a natural wicket-taker and can be a trump card in the middle overs on the given day. Axar provides value with his batting down the order but when it comes to bowling, he is unable to pick up wickets. Kuldeep Yadav has 95 wickets in 54 T20Is and England middle order batters could struggle to pick him up. While Axar has picked up 93 wickets in 92 T20Is. So, there is merit in playing Kuldeep Yadav for the game against England.
If suppose India wants both Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel in the side along with Varun, then they might need to sacrifice a pacer in Arshdeep Signh or Shivam Dube both of which look unlikely. Indian bowling in the middle overs has been a huge concern and for this reason against a strong England batting order, India should include Kuldeep in the Playing XI for this match.
