By Vibhakar
Overview Advertisment Kuldeep Yadav did not get a chance to play against England in Headingley and Edgbaston Tests The chinaman spinner has played just 13 Tests for India since his debut in 2017 Despite being highly skillful and ability to take wickets, Kuldeep has played way too less number of Tests Kuldeep Yadav did not get a chance to play in the Edgbaston Test against England after getting outcry from the fans and analysts for the same following India’s loss in the Headingley Test. India had three changes to their Playing XI and Kuldeep could still not make it to the side, not even after the retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin. Skillfully, the Chinaman spinner is one of his kind, as he can spin the ball both ways despite being a left-arm spinner. Additionally, he can vary the pace well and target both edges of the willow. The star player has been with the Indian team since 2017 when he made his debut against Australia in the decisive Test in Dharamshala. Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah reveals how he proposed to Sanjana Ganesan On his debut, Kuldeep was highly impressive and claimed 4/68, which helped India beat Australia. He later toured Sri Lanka and claimed 4/40 and 1/56 in the only Test he got to play. He got a chance to play in England in onky one Test in 2018 and finished with figures of 0/44 in the one innings. Against the West Indies at home in the 2018 series, Kuldeep claimed 10 wickets in 2 Tests at an average of 24.90 and a strike rate of 39.60. Kuldeep later played a solitary Test in the BGT 2018/19 in Sydney and claimed 5/99, only to be dropped for over two years. Against England, he got a chance in only a solitary Test and claimed 0/16 and 2/25 in 6 and 6.2 overs, respectively. Read More: Former India coach reveals how Rohit Sharma was instrumental in KL Rahul”s resurgence during Champions Trophy 2025 Unfair treatment of Kuldeep Yadav in Tests Yadav was again dropped from the side and got a chance to play against Bangladesh after 20 months, in which he claimed 5/40 and 3/73 along with a handy 40 with the bat. Neither was that enough for India, as he was dropped yet again till the series against England in early 2024. Only from 2024 has Kuldeep got consistently good chances in the Test side. Kuldeep shined when given fairly consistent chances, as he took 22 wickets in 5 Tests at an average of 23.09 and a strike rate of 37.00. He took 4 and 5-wicket hauls in three instances and was dropped from the side despite consistently proving himself as a wicket taking bowler every time he got a chance to bowl. Also Check: Morne Morkel and Arshdeep Singh practice WWE moves on each other during practice One might say the presence of Ashwin and Jadeja hampered his case in Tests. However, even after Ashwin’s retirement, Kuldeep hasn’t been able to make it to the side, which is a completely baffling case. Not many Test bowlers get dropped after claiming 4 and 5 wicket hauls, especially when their team don’t perform as well otherwise as a bowling unit.