Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav started to practice in nets as he prepares for a Team India comeback ahead of the white-ball series against England started from January 22 and the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. Taking to Instagram, Kuldeep shared a video of him bowling in the nets, looking fully “locked in” in his practice session. Kuldeep was unavailable for selection for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour of Australia held from November last year to January this year, since he was referred to the BCCI Centre of Excellence after the end of the Test series against New Zealand for long-term resolution of his chronic left groin issue.
His last appearance for India was the first Test of the New Zealand series, in which he took three wickets back in October last year.
When he comes back, Kuldeep has an important milestone to look ahead to, of 300 international wickets. In 159 international appearances, he has taken 297 wickets at an average of 22.50, with the best bowling figures of 6/25. He has taken eight five-wicket hauls in international cricket.
Kuldeep is not part of the squad for the five-match T20I series against England, kickstarting on January 22.
The five-match T20I series will kick off on January 22 in Kolkata. The second and third matches will be held on January 25 and 28 in Chennai and Rajkot, respectively. The fourth game of the series will be played on January 31 in Pune. Mumbai will host the final match of the T20I series on February 2.
The three-match ODI series will kickstart from February 6 onwards.
The freshest challenge awaiting India is the ICC Champions Trophy, starting from February 19 till March 9. It will be hosted by Pakistan and UAE, with India playing its matches in UAE under a hybrid model.
The eight-team tournament will feature 15 50-over matches and will be played across Pakistan and in Dubai. The biggest match of the tournament between two arch-rivals India and Pakistan will be played on February 23 in Dubai. India will start its campaign against Bangladesh on February 20. India’s last league match will be against New Zealand on March 2.
Group A of the tournament features current Champions Trophy holders and hosts Pakistan, along with India, New Zealand and Bangladesh, while Group B features Cricket World Cup 2023 champions Australia, alongside Afghanistan, England and South Africa.
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