Vaughan Questions Kuldeep’s Absence From India’s Playing XI: ‘His Record Is…’ – 1v1 Video Chat & LIve Streaming & Influencer Subscription

By News18

Kuldeep Yadav has 21 wickets to his name in six Tests played so far against the English team, but despite that, he failed to find a place in India’s playing XI in the first two Tests of the ongoing five-match series. Kuldeep’s absence from India’s playing XI came as a surprise for former England captain and star batter Michael Vaughan.
According to Vaughan, who has now donned the hat of an expert and commentator, he failed to understand the logic behind not playing Kuldeep and Jasprit Bumrah in the second Test, which kicked off at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Wednesday (July 2).
“I didn’t agree with that. Seven days off and you don’t play your best bowler (Bumrah). No, Kuldeep, I don’t understand that as well. I didn’t quite get that India were going to bowl first as well here (Edgbaston),” Vaughan was quoted as saying by PTI.
“I just don’t quite understand why you wouldn’t want Kuldeep in the Test team. It’s a Test game that’s over five days, and over five days a leg-spinner should have a say. His record against England is exceptional. I’d certainly be looking to use Kuldeep Yadav a bit more if that was an Indian Test team.”
“When you play two spinners, surely the way for beating them, you get runs on the board and hope the pitch deteriorates. I wouldn’t look at Headingley at anything other than that. If they’d have caught the chances, India would have won,” said Vaughan.
Kuldeep, who has 56 wickets to his name in 13 Tests played so far, last played a red-ball match for India against New Zealand in Bengaluru in October 2024, and in that match, he picked up three wickets for 99 runs in the first innings.
In his last Test match against the English team, Kuldeep picked up a five-wicket haul (5/72) in the first innings and helped the Rohit Sharma-led side secure a big win by an innings and 64 runs.
Kuldeep was expected to feature in the second Test, but spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar was preferred over him at the last moment. During the coin toss, India’s Test captain Shubman Gill said, “We were tempted to play Kuldeep, but looking at the last match, our lower order didn’t do well, so we decided to add some depth to the batting.”