Kuldeep Yadav officially announces he's taking over Rohit Sharma’s place in Team India
Published - 16 Jun 2025, 12:00 PM | Updated - 16 Jun 2025, 02:35 PM

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The 30-year-old India National Cricket Team wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has made a big revelation on his place in the team bus following the retirement of Rohit Sharma from Test cricket.
Kuldeep Yadav said that he has taken over the seat of former Test skipper Rohit Sharma in the team bus and is sitting next to the star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
Uspe main baithta hu - Kuldeep Yadav
The 38-year-old Rohit Gurunath Sharma announced his decision to step away from Test cricket after his horrible outing in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 Down Under.
He represented India in 67 Test matches and amassed 4301 runs at an average of 40.37, with 12 tons and 18 fifties. His experience will surely be missed in the upcoming Test series against England, but India have got talented players to replace him in the squad.
Another place where there was a need to replace him following his Test retirement is India's team bus. Rohit had a permanent place in the team bus next to Ravindra Jadeja, and his decision to step away from red-ball cricket left that seat vacant.
Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav has confirmed that from now onwards, he will be giving the company to Ravindra Jadeja by sitting in Rohit Sharma's seat. When asked about this move at the press conference, Kuldeep laughed and said, "Uspe main baithta hu (I sit there)."
Explaining the reason behind this move, Kuldeep Yadav said that he is picking the brains of Jadeja by sitting alongside him.
"I can never take Rohit bhai's place. It's just that I am spending more time with Jaddu bhai. It's important as a spinner for me because Ash bhai is not there. I have learnt a lot from him. When I started my cricket, I have played with both of them. Very lucky to have Jadeja as my spin partner. I am enjoying it," Kuldeep said.
When the seniors go away, their absence is always felt - Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav further said that the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli give the youngsters a great opportunity to prove themselves and seal their spots in the team.
"When the seniors go away, their absence is always felt. Virat bhai and Rohit bhai have done so much for the team," he said.
"They will be missed, but it's also an opportunity for youngsters to perform well. But yes, I am sure everybody would be missing the seniors. But the youngsters are excited for the challenge. Batsmen are working very hard in the nets and preparing really"
We've played a lot of T20 in the last four-five months - Kuldeep Yadav
India recently took on India A in an intra-squad match where numerous players shone and got good red-ball match practice before the England Tests. When Kuldeep was asked about this, he said:
"We've played a lot of T20 in the last four-five months, so volume is very important, and all the bowlers are instructed to bowl as many overs [in practice as they would in a match]: the fast bowlers will bowl at least 15 to 20 overs so they can build up fully for the Test match, and it's the same for the spinners - the more they bowl, the better it will be."
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Kuldeep Yadav India National Cricket Team England National Cricket Team India vs England IND vs ENG Rohit Sharma Virat Kohli Ravindra JadejaAbout the Author

Sonanchal Gautam is a dedicated sports journalist, content manager, writer, and editor with over 4 y... Read more