Why is Kuldeep Yadav not playing today’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 semi-final match versus New Zealand at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester
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Team India’s premier wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been left out of the Playing 11 for the India vs New Zealand first semi-final match of the ICC Cricket World Cup at The Old Trafford in Manchester.
ALSO READ: Is Mohammad Shami playing in today’s semi-final match?
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson won the all-important Toss at the overcast conditions at The Old Trafford and decided to bat first, on expected lines.
India skipper Virat Kohli would have too liked to bat first looking at the freshness of the pitch. This match becomes all the more important as it will decide the first finalist of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Yuzvendra Chahal in for Kuldeep
Perhaps impressed by the way all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja performed in the previous match against Sri Lanka, it became pretty challenging to hand him a snub in the Playing 11. Thus Jadeja retains his place in the side.
Thus, one of the two wrist spinners had to face the axe, and it is Kuldeep Yadav who makes way for Yuzvendra Chahal in today’s playing 11 versus New Zealand.
Kuldeep had returned with figures of 10-0-58-1 in the previous league match against Sri Lanka at Headingley in Leeds.
Chahal has picked up 11 wickets in the eight matches he has played so far in the marquee tournament, while Kuldeep has manged to scalp only 7 wickets in the six matches he has played. Thus, perhaps looking at the comparatively good run in form with which Chahal is going through, he gets a thumbs-up ahead of the Chinaman.
And no. Chahal is playing. Shami still out though. Spinners don’t mark their run-ups! 😛
Slightly surprised by NZ call to bat. Guess they know it will be grey throughout the day so make first use of a pitch that will slow down. #IndvNZ #CWC19
— Chetan Narula (@chetannarula) July 9, 2019
India Playing 11:
Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal.
One change for New Zealand
New Zealand skipper- Kane Willimson on the other hand, has gone in for one solitary change. They have brought in their express pacer- Lockie Ferguson in place of Tim Southee, who looked quite ordinary in the Kiwis’ last league match versus England, returning with figures of 9-0-70-1.
New Zealand Playing 11
Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham(w), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Trent Boult
