IND vs WI: Kuldeep Yadav Should Definitely Be There In The Test Team: Anil Kumble On Out-Of-Favour India Star

Throwing his support behind Kuldeep Yadav, former India spin spearhead Anil Kumble has said that the left-arm spinner deserves to be a part of Team India’s squad in Tests.

Kuldeep Yadav made his Test debut during the Dharamsala Test against Australia in 2017 when Anil Kumble was the head coach of the team. Kuldeep made an instant impact by taking 4 wickets on his debut and outshining his illustrious teammates like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

Dream11 Prediction | Fantasy Cricket Tips | Cricket Match Prediction Today | Cricket News | Cricket Live Score | Asia Cup 2023 | ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 | IND vs AFG 2023 | IND vs WI 2023

Since then, he has done really well in the limited games that he has got a chance in. Kuldeep has failed to cement his spot in the team but has done really well in red-ball cricket. In 8 games so far, he has picked up 34 wickets with the help of three five-wicket hauls including one in Sydney.

He also picked up a five-wicket haul in Chattogram against Bangladesh in December last year and was the Man of the Match but was dropped from the playing eleven after that match. Kuldeep has not played a Test for India since then. And as the highly-rated spinner struggles to get regular chances in Tests, he has received some much-needed support from Anil Kumble.

“He should definitely be there because he is a very good bowler. Leg-spinners are very attacking bowlers and it is also difficult at times, they concede runs as well but you need to take a leg-spinner along with you and groom him, and whenever you get a chance, he should be given an opportunity,” Anil Kumble said on JioCinema.

“Kuldeep Yadav is a very good spinner for Test matches. He has given very good performances whenever he has got a chance as well. There are a lot of wrist-spinners in white-ball formats. We are not getting to see them much in Test matches,” he added.

IND vs AUS 2023 | India National Cricket Team | IND vs AFG 2023 | IND vs WI 2023 | Asia Cup 2023 | ICC World Cup 2023

Anil Kumble on the Ashwin-Jadeja duo:

One of the main reasons why Kuldeep has struggled to get chances in the Test team is the presence of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Both the spinners have done a stunning job for the team in Tests and have led the spin department for nearly a decade now.

Anil Kumble spoke about them too when former India batsman Aakash Chopra asked him the reason behind wrist-spinners not getting too many chances in Tests cricket. In reply, the legendary leg-spinner said:

“Don’t know about that but Ashwin and Jadeja are doing a very good job for the Indian team currently. Both are high-quality spin bowlers. The third spinner is also Axar Patel, he has done extremely well whenever he has got an opportunity.”

“As I said, Kuldeep Yadav should also be kept alongside them and played whenever you get a chance. He has picked up 34 wickets in eight matches and his average is also very good. He has picked up three five-wicket hauls in just eight matches. That’s an amazing record,” he added.

Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah