IND vs NZ 2022: “Jodi no 1” – Harbhajan Singh reacts as spin duo Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal reunite with Team India

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has dropped a heart-warming reply on Yuzvendra Chahal’s social media post regarding his and Kuldeep Yadav's reunion with Team India.

The wrist spinners were a force to reckon with as they hunted in pairs for a long time in white-ball cricket, but since India’s exit at the semi-final stage of the 2019 World Cup, they haven't been seen playing together. The duo are likely to reunite in the playing XI as Team India are set to enter a new era in T20Is after the T20 World Cup 2022.

Ahead of the T20I series opener against the Blackcaps, Chahal welcomed Kuldeep back into the Indian team with an Instagram post on Wednesday, November 16, which he captioned:

"Kya haal hai 😂 ❤️"

Harbhajan replied to the post:

“Jodi no 1"

For those not in the know, Kuldeep has only played two T20Is so far this year. He returned with 3/12 in his last appearance for Team India in the West Indies.

The Chinaman bowler has only played a handful of T20Is since 2018. He has represented the Men in Blue in only eight T20Is, where he scalped 11 wickets.

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“Kuldeep Yadav has been underutilized” – Robin Uthappa

Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa, meanwhile, feels that Kuldeep Yadav has been underutilized despite performing well in limited opportunities. He thinks the wrist spinner will be crucial for Team India because of his genuine wicket-taking ability.

In a recent chat with Sportskeeda, Uthappa said:

"Kuldeep Yadav has been underutilized. He has had some injuries but has done well in whatever opportunities he has got. He also recently bagged a hat trick against India A. So it is important to decide who your pool of players will be for the next [T20] World Cup, give them specific roles and then rotate them."

Yadav took seven wickets in three One-Dayers for the Sanju Samson-led India A against New Zealand A in September. He followed it up with seven wickets for Team India against South Africa in three ODIs, including 4/18. As a result, he has been included in both the T20I and ODI squads for the series against the Blackcaps.

Meanwhile, Chahal will finally be looking to represent India again after not playing for the Men in Blue throughout their T20 World Cup campaign in Australia.

It remains to be seen whether the Indian team management will play both the spin duo in New Zealand, where conditions favor fast bowlers.

The Hardik Pandya-led Team India will play their opener in Wellington on Friday (November 18). The action will then shift to Mount Maunganui (November 20) and Napier (November 22) for the last two T20Is.

India’s squad for New Zealand T20Is: Hardik Pandya (C), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (VC and WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik