Kuldeep Yadav set to go KL Rahul's route; International Career in Threat

India's left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav is set to go under the knife after being left out of the squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Kuldeep will undergo the same path as KL Rahul, who undertook successful surgery for a sports hernia in Germany in June 2022.

Kuldeep was one of the surprise omissions when the squad was announced. Earlier, it was expected that the selectors might be looking for a pace-heavy attack which prompted them to drop Kuldeep for the highly anticipated series.

However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made it clear that Kuldeep was left out due to an injury. He will have surgery in Germany in order to be fit for India's next series.

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Kuldeep Yadav set to undergo surgery in Germany

According to a report from Dainik Jagran, Kuldeep Yadav will be undergoing surgery for which he needs to travel to Germany. India's star batter KL Rahul also travelled to Germany to undergo surgery in 2022.

Kuldeep had been suffering the left groin injury for some time now. He has been advised to complete his rehabilitation. The 29-year-old has gone straight to the BCCI 'Centre of Excellence' after the recently concluded New Zealand series.

Kuldeep last played an international match during the first Test against New Zealand at Bengaluru. He picked up three wickets in the first innings and went wicketless in the second innings.

Kuldeep Yadav in Australia

Kuldeep Yadav has played one Test in Australia during the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy where he picked up a famous five-wicket haul in Sydney. The left-arm wrist spinner has shown glimpses that he can be a successful spinner in Australian conditions.

His absence can be felt during the course of a five-match series as he could have played a crucial role during the series. Wrist spinners usually have a good record on Australian pitches and Kuldeep has the skills to be successful down under.

Kuldeep Yadav's Test record

Kuldeep Yadav made his Test debut in 2017 but has played just 13 Tests so far. This is because India have usually preferred Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja ahead of him. India also have the option of Axar Patel as one of the spin options.

In 13 Tests, he has picked up 56 wickets at an average of 22.16 with 4 five-wicket hauls. Despite not being a regular member of the Test team, the left-arm wrist-spinner is a key part of India's white-ball teams.

India have selected three spinners for the five-match Test series against Australia - Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar. The selectors have focused on picking up a solid pace bowling line-up as they feel that the quicks can make a difference throughout five Tests.

The first Test will be played in Perth on November 22. The second Test will be a day-night encounter which will be played in Adelaide. Brisbane's Gabba will host the third Test of the series while Melbourne and Sydney will host the Boxing Day Test and New Year's Test respectively.