Kuldeep Yadav made a stunning comeback to Test cricket in the first match against Bangladesh, picking up eight wickets and helping India win the match by 188 runs.
He also received the Player of the Match award for his sensational bowling as well as his handy 40 with the bat.
However, quite a few eyebrows were raised when the wrist spinner was left out of the second Test in Dhaka. There was good grass covering on the wicket, making India feel that three pacers were needed. However, to accommodate the extra pacer, they decided to drop Kuldeep.
“We all want Team India to win and that’s the ultimate goal,” he said. “I completely understand that the captain and coach try and make a combination to help the team win. But then it is not right to keep one of your match-winners on the bench. How long will this continue?” No Indian would want the Indian team to lose. But at the same time, a player who has done well in the little chances that he received deserves a longer rope.”
Kuldeep Yadav would have picked 200 Test wickets by now with regular chances: Kapil Pandey
It may be difficult to believe that after making his debut five years ago, Kuldeep Yadav has only participated in eight Test matches for India. The 27-year-old has taken 34 wickets in just these many Test matches.
In addition to his five-wicket haul in Chattogram, Kuldeep also made his Border-Gavaskar Trophy debuts with five wickets in Dharamshala and Sydney.
According to Kapil Pandey, the spinner deserved a streak of games with consistency. If Kuldeep Yadav had participated in more games for India thus far, in his opinion, his statistics would have been even more astounding.
On this, Pandey stated:
“I am no one to comment on the plans of the team management because they have the final say, but definitely Kuldeep would have picked 200 Test wickets by now had he recieved consistent chances. Had he been given a consistent run of games at home against England and New Zealand, he could have picked at least 40 wickets in each series.”
Despite the inconsistent run of games that Kuldeep Yadav has received, Kapil Pandey is hopeful that the new team management under coach Rahul Dravid will get the best out of the wrist-spinner and give him the confidence that he deserves.
On this, Kuldeep’s coach said:
“I have told him, “Think that every game that you play for India, is your last game.” This is because he isn’t fortunate enough to get a long rope of chances. Rahul Dravid’s arrival has raised my hopes as he has always provided players with security. I am hoping that Kuldeep will be backed across all formats under Dravid’s management.”
This year has been quite a successful one for Kuldeep Yadav across formats. Also, he will be keen to have a similar impact in 2023 as well.
