India’s decision to stay with spin-bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar in the starting lineup for the third Test at Lord’s prolonged Kuldeep Yadav‘s wait to play his fourteenth Test match. Since October 2024, the Uttar Pradesh spinner has not participated in an Indian Test match.
Anil Kumble, the former captain of India, expressed his desire to have witnessed Kuldeep’s performance at the storied Lord’s Cricket Ground. In his opinion, the 30-year-old ought to have been included in the squad for last week’s second Test match at Edgbaston.
“Having a player like Kuldeep (Yadav) in the side would have been ideal for me. I believed Kuldeep would have played a role in the most recent game as well. But it goes without saying that (Jasprit) Bumrah will return. He should be in the starting lineup, but Prasidh (Krishna) is sadly left out. The fact that all three of the fast bowlers have already taken wickets in the two Test matches that have been played thus far is really impressive. Thus, the bowling attack should feel much more confident,” Kumble told ESPNcricinfo.
Despite taking the wicket of England captain Ben Stokes in the third Test, Kumble believed it was too soon to consider Sundar as a frontline spin-bowling option.
“The spinners barely bowled at all. Yes, Washington Sundar took the vital wicket of Ben Stokes, but he didn’t bowl much. Jadeja (Ravindra) took a handful of wickets. Jadeja is, in a sense, the bowling all-rounder among the three all-rounders, Kumble stated.
“We can’t talk about Washington (Sundar) just yet. As a spinner, he’s had a successful series against New Zealand. The bowling star went on, “But I would definitely look at someone like Kuldeep (Yadav); if you are looking at two spinners, he is your frontline spinner, especially overseas.”
Kuldeep is undoubtedly not being considered by India as an attacking option: Kumble
Kumble believed that in the closing moments of the Lord’s Test, Kuldeep might have been really important for India. He pushed the management to recognise the attacking ability of the Kanpur-born player.
“You need a front-line spinner, and given the state of English pitches these days, Kuldeep (Yadav) would undoubtedly be the best spinner in this lineup. Lords appear to have a nice surface. The surface has always been good, and it likely helps the spinners into the game in the second half of the Test match, but Kuldeep will be an offensive option given the way England’s hitters play, and India isn’t considering him as such,” Kumble stated.
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