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.
"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.
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"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.
