India coach Rahul Dravid hinted that either Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal could replace the current spinners in the Super 8 stages. During the group games, India opted for three pacers as the pitch in New York seemed to favor fast bowling. Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel were used as the spinners, but their roles were limited in the first phase of the tournament.

Dravid was asked about the difficulty in excluding a player of Kuldeep’s caliber. Dravid acknowledged it was a tough decision, but deemed it necessary given the team’s requirements in New York.

“Leaving out any of the four talented players was a difficult decision. They are all quality performers who could have strengthened our squad. Objectively, adding any one of them would not have weakened the team,” stated Dravid.

“However, the specific conditions for that particular match led us to pick a pace-focused lineup, as we felt the wicket would not offer spinners much. Additionally, we wanted to ensure we had the necessary depth to handle the challenging pitch conditions if needed. That’s the rationale behind the combination we ultimately went with,” he added.

He also revealed that the conditions in the Caribbean may compel the team to include an additional spinner, despite his efforts to keep the team’s strategy under wraps.

“The playing conditions may vary across the different islands or countries we visit. Anticipating this, we felt the need to include the extra spinner in the squad. Quality spinners like Kuldeep or Yuzi, with their exceptional skills, were selected as they could be crucial for us, given the potential differences in pitch and weather conditions at each location,” he continued.

India will kick-off their Super 8 stage against Afghanistan on June 20 in Barbados.