Exclusive: No Place for Kuldeep Yadav Again as Selection Decisions Come Under Scrutiny

Kuldeep Yadav has only played 13 Tests since his debut in Dharamsala against Australia in 2017. 

Senior spinners R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had blocked the spot. Even after the retirement of the former, the Indian wrist-arm spinner has warmed the bench in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

Yadav could have been the X factor for the tourists in the fourth Test against England at Manchester. With India trailing 2-1 in the series, the team opted for a conservative approach, retaining the Jadeja-Washington Sundar combination due to their batting contribution.

Batter or bowler—who does the team need more?

Kapil Pandey, the childhood coach of Yadav, felt it was unfortunate that the 30-year-old had to sit out four Tests in a row despite a good record against England. 

"We have to decide whether we are looking for a batter or a bowler. If he is a bowler, he should play as a bowler, and he is a top performer, who picked 21 wickets against England in only six Tests. And he also has a hundred (117) in the Ranji Trophy, if you are talking about batting. Three years ago, he also had a 40 against Bangladesh in international cricket," he told SportsBoom.com on Wednesday.

Pandey revealed that Yadav worked hard for the England tour. 

"I thought he would play all five Tests given his form in the ICC Champions Trophy [seven wickets in five matches], and the Indian Premier League [15 wickets in 14]. He is one rare spin bowler who has two ODI hat-tricks. Suddenly, I think people have forgotten about the champion Kuldeep Yadav. Whenever they have dropped a player, it has been him," he added.

Seaming pitch or spin: No sign of Yadav

Yadav has 56 Test wickets in 13 appearances, and his only Test five-for came against Australia in Sydney in 2019. 

"He has to pick a five-for again to reclaim his spot. He went for the tour thinking how he would bowl in the first match at Leeds, but his first match is yet to come. He has been out of the side irrespective of the nature of the track; seam or spin,” said Pandey.

The wrist spinner went through mental and physical training before the tour. 

“I told him to keep the flight a little higher since it is Test cricket. Bowling in ODI and Test cricket is similar. The lengths vary in T20Is. He used the line-and-length beautifully in the home series against England last year. If you have noticed, he doesn’t bowl short balls now; he tries to keep it full so the batter has to play a drive, which increases the chances of getting an lbw. We were working on his flight and length for this tour. If he played all Tests, the result could have been 2-1 in India’s favour,” he added.

Pandey’s advice to his ward is to stay patient. 

“He has to understand that he is playing for the country, and not every cricketer gets that opportunity. He has to stay positive because this series won’t be there after a few days, and a new series will come. He will get his chances, and he has to remind people how he bowled Babar Azam in the World Cup in 2019, and caught Kane Williamson off his bowling in the Champions Trophy final this year.”

Pandey spoke about the success of wrist spinners in Test cricketers to push Yadav’s selection. He felt Shoaib Bashir was nowhere close to Yadav’s credentials. 

“It is strange that India is using left-arm spinners despite having a wrist spinner in the mix. Look at how Shane Warne fared in the English conditions. England doesn’t have an option. They don’t have a world-class spinner like Yadav. I feel sad that Bashir played three Tests, but Yadav didn’t play one. Our players are getting out to Bashir is more surprising. I think I can also bowl like Bashir (laughs),” said Pandey, expecting coach Gautam Gambhir to believe in Yadav’s abilities. 

“They flew in pacer Anshul Kamboj from India, and he is playing the match. It can’t happen without the recommendation of the coach or captain. I don’t have a problem if anybody gets an opportunity, but imagine the pressure of playing in a series-defining match. If he fails to perform, his career will be over.”

Yadav has appeared in 113 ODIs with 181 wickets under his belt, but his Test career remains stop-start.