'Sack Gautam Gambhir, enough is enough' - Twitter reacts to Kuldeep Yadav's snub for 2nd Test vs ENG

The India National Cricket Team’s surprising team selection for the second Test against England has taken social media by storm. In a bold move that has shocked fans and cricket experts, Washington Sundar was preferred over wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav for the crucial second Test in Edgbaston.

India made three changes, bringing in Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Akash Deep, as they dropped Sai Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur while resting Jasprit Bumrah. This move once again highlighted the Indian team’s obsession with batting depth over bowling firepower.

Shubman Gill explains why Kuldeep Yadav overlooked for the Edgbaston Test

Despite the Edgbaston surface showing signs of turn and dryness, the Indian think tank opted to prioritize extra runs at the bottom rather than picking a genuine wicket-taking option in Kuldeep Yadav. To make matters worse, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has also been rested to keep him fresh for the Lord’s Test, where conditions are expected to favor seamers more.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

At the toss, Indian captain Shubman Gill admitted that they were tempted to include Kuldeep but opted for Sundar to strengthen the lower order for the second Test against England, and this explanation didn’t sit well with furious fans.

Shubman Gill said at the toss, “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.”

Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar under fire as India pick Washington Sundar over Kuldeep Yadav for 2nd Test

For this call, the Indian team management has been facing intense wrath from the fans. Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have been facing the brunt of the criticism. Fans are accusing them of playing it too safe and ignoring the match-winning bowler.

Many believe this overly cautious approach could cost India the match and even the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England. With India already trailing 0-1 in the five-match Test series, fans slammed the bold decision to overlook a genuine attacking weapon, Kuldeep, who could have proved to be a huge threat on the tailor-made surface of Edgbaston for the second Test.

Some fans also felt Kuldeep could have come in place of Ravindra Jadeja, as the left-arm spinner has been struggling in the recent Test matches. In his last four games, the seasoned all-rounder has bowled 110 overs but managed to take just 5 wickets, averaging 78.

Read Also: 'Gautam Gambhir is a bloody fool' - Twitter reacts as Sai Sudharsan, Shardul Thakur get dropped for 2nd Test

Here's how fans react to Kuldeep Yadav's snub for the Edgbaston Test:

Jeez. This is incredibly defensive lineup from India. No Kuldeep and no Arshdeep either. Gambhir single handedly ruining one of the greatest Test side ever. Just wondering how much ENG would've scored upfront on dry track had they batted first. https://t.co/NhBnxatiEu

— Ahmad Hussain (@Ahmad_Pak_) July 2, 2025

Sack Gambhir.
Enough is enough.
Kuldeep Yadav could have been your best chance to counter english batters.
But this moron wants batting depth.

— Atishay Jain (@Atishayjain1x) July 2, 2025

Indian cricket picked Washington Sundar in place of Kuldeep Yadav thinking that they need only batsmen to win a test match: pic.twitter.com/2JN75ymy2w

— Shubham Bhatt (@Shubharcasm) July 2, 2025

"Kal press conference mein bola gaya — ‘ek spinner hota to run ruk jaate’
Aaj Kuldeep Yadav ko fir bench pe bitha diya.
Bumrah fit hone ke baad bhi suspense…
Toh bowling se match jeetne ka irada kab hoga bhai?#INDvsENG #Bumrah #Kuldeep"#India @CricCrazyJohns @mufaddal_vohra pic.twitter.com/iM8K4nuBt1

— Arshad Saifi (@ArshadS90573671) July 2, 2025

#INDvsENG

IND made 3 changes. Dropping Sai Sudharshan and Shardul Thakur is alright. But they ought to have been replaced with Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav.

Including Nitish Reddy makes the problem worse.

Test cricket is for specialists, not for bits n pieces players.

— Syed Yusuf Mehdi 🇮🇳 (@yusufmehdi) July 2, 2025

Lagta hai Kuldeep Yadav aur Arshdeep ko desh ki itihaas aur Angrezon ke ladayi ke baare main nahi pata hai isliye jagah nahi mil rahi hai XI main. pic.twitter.com/ooD6wZa2H0

— Taus Rizvi (@rizvitaus) July 2, 2025

Why is Kuldeep Yadav not playing @GautamGambhir @imAagarkar . He is a genuine match winner. Wrist spinners have historically done well vs England. He will take 5-6 wickets & win you the game.Bits & pieces cricketers might score 20 runs but that will not win the game #INDvsEND pic.twitter.com/t3DMVuN4Qf

— Sanju Samson (@sanjusamson__) July 2, 2025

Poor team selection.
If you really wanted to play an extra spinner, it should’ve been Kuldeep Yadav, not Washington Sundar.
You can’t expect real contributions from Sundar with either bat or ball.
Kuldeep could’ve made a difference#INDvsENG

— Over The Cover🏏 (@OverTheCoverX) July 2, 2025

Kuldeep Yadav. pic.twitter.com/8tCX3mgJxB

— Billu (@Tuna_machli) July 2, 2025

Wrist wizard 🌀
Left-arm charm 🎯
Kuldeep Yadav doesn’t just spin the ball—he spins entire matches! 🔥#Kuldeep #ChinamanMagic #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/uHPkAiw5D0

— Vikash Kumar Sinha (@vikashaps) July 2, 2025

No Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI this is something I just cannot digest.
I genuinely wonder why the team management continues to overlook Kuldeep Yadav.
In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, who is our primary wicket taking bowler?

Playing both Washington Sundar and Ravindra…

— Parth Raval (@gopu_r) July 2, 2025

Fker still not playing kuldeep yadav. #INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/ZupMxQWTfB

— Aryabhatt (@aryabhatt_1) July 2, 2025

Kuldeep Yadav and Sai Sudarshan to Washington Sundar and Akash Deep under coaching of Gambhir - pic.twitter.com/O7HV1NnwfU

— Shubham Bhatt (@Shubharcasm) July 2, 2025

Bkl kuldeep yadav ko kya honeymoon pe leke gaye ho, spinning track pe ek toh frontline spinner khila lete

— Sarthak (@Sarthak02_) July 2, 2025

Kkr quota se nai hai kuldeep yadav, chakravarthy hota toh ye test khel jata

— subodh Chavan🇮🇳 (@subodhChavan09) July 2, 2025

Well, India is already 0-1 down in the ongoing five-match Test series and now playing at Edgbaston, a venue where they’ve never won a Test match in the last eight outings, after the crushing five-wicket defeat in the first Test at Headingly, won’t be easy at all.

However, England also don't have a much greater record at Edgbaston. They have lost three of their last five Test matches at this venue, making the ongoing second Test more interesting for fans.

Here are the playing XIs for the second Test between England and India:

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.

Read Also: India shockingly denied hosting rights as ACC hands Asia Cup 2027, 2029, 2031 to other nations