"When Kuldeep Yadav and I used to play, Hardik Pandya was also there and he would bowl. In 2018, Hardik Pandya got injured and Ravindra Jadeja made a comeback (in white-ball cricket) as an all-rounder, the one who could also bat at number 7. Unfortunately, he is a spinner. We could have played together if he was a medium pacer. It was the demand of the team," Chahal told Sports Tak in an interview.
Pandya had to be stretchered off the field with a back injury in a match against Pakistan which was followed by a lengthy spell on the sidelines. He had only started bowling again after the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) last year and is yet to play a Test match since September 2018. Kuldeep and Chahal were developing as a lethal spin pair before the 2019 World Cup but they have hardly played a match together since the tournament, with the former's appearances for the Indian team going on a nosedive.
"Kuldeep and I played 50-50 matches in any series. Sometimes, he would play 3 matches of a five-match series, sometimes I would get the chance. The team combination is needed, 11 players make a team and 'Kul-cha' was not making it. We were there till Hardik was there, we were also given chances. The need of the team was to have an all-rounder at No. 7 position. I am happy even if I am not playing but the team is winning," Chahal added.
New Delhi, May 21
Yuzvendra Chahal said that the reason for him and Kuldeep Yadav not featuring together in the Indian team in the last two years is because all-rounder Hardik Pandya is unable to bowl.
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