'He Should Be Played Every Time': Harbhajan Singh Endorses Team India Star's Inclusion In Playing XI After Raipur Triumph

India defeated New Zealand at Raipur to gain a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series ahead of the T20 World Cup. While batting duo Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav's brilliant knocks became the main talking points of the match, the Indian bowlers also played a huge role in restricting New Zealand to just 208 runs in 20 overs.

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has urged the management to include Kuldeep Yadav in all games going forward after his strong spell in Raipur, returning figures of 2-35 against New Zealand in the 2nd T20I.

Notably, Kuldeep Yadav was not included in the playing XI during the first T20I match in Nagpur as the Men in Blue went with two spinners, Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy. However, with Axar Patel sidelined due to a finger injury, Kuldeep Yadav was named in the playing XI in Raipur.

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Harbhajan Singh On Kuldeep Yadav's Performance In 2nd T20I Against New Zealand

Kuldeep Yadav dismissed both Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra to mark an eventful outing in Raipur. Harbhajan Singh outlined the importance of having Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy in the bowling attack and added that India should persist with this duo to rule over the middle overs.

In his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh shared, "It is like 200 runs is nothing now, and while New Zealand had the chance to score more runs, 208 runs was a decent score on the board. India played two spinners with Kuldeep returning, and he did not disappoint. He bowled well, as expected, and I think he should be played every time. When Kuldeep and Varun play together, then they will not allow the opposition to score easily in the middle overs."

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Kuldeep Yadav And Varun Chakaravarthy Played A Huge Role Against New Zealand

Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy's combined eight overs allowed 70 runs for the Blackcaps as they lost their way from 98/2 to 129/5 in just four overs.