Kuldeep Yadav , the left-arm wrist spinner, has said that he and his fellow spinner Yuzvendra Chahal are not competing with each other for a place in the Indian ODI team. The duo, who are known as ‘Kulcha’, have been India’s preferred spinners in the 50-over format for the past few years, but have not played together since the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.


Since then, India has experimented with different combinations, including Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, and Rahul Chahar. Kuldeep and Chahal have also faced stiff competition from each other, as only one of them has been picked in the playing XI in most of the matches.


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However, Kuldeep has insisted that there is no rivalry between him and Chahal and that they share a good understanding and friendship. He said that they are both focused on performing well for the team and are happy for each other’s success. "We're very relaxed," he told ESPN Cric Info, "We know the combination matters a lot. Sometimes he plays, sometimes I play, and our understanding is very good. We're very normal.”


The Delhi Capitals star also credited Chahal for helping him and that they support each other. He said, "He helps me a lot when I play, he tells me what I can do, what I can change. He always wants me to do well. When he plays I do the same thing, so that when he plays he performs well for the team. Maybe this is why the Kul-Cha partnership has worked so well over the years. We support and back each other."


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Kuldeep himself has also shown signs of improvement after a lean patch in his career as he was picked over Chahal in the first ODI against West Indies in Barbados and ended up taking four wickets for just six runs in three overs. Yadav, who has taken 19 wickets from nine ODIs this year, hasn’t consistently found a place across versions in the Indian side. He was left out of the second Test against Bangladesh despite taking eight wickets, including a fifer and scoring a crucial 40 in the first innings last December.