Kuldeep Yadav is one of those cricketers who benefitted greatly from the leadership and experience of his captains, people who could put their arms around his shoulders and set him down the right path, to make best use of his left-arm leg-spin weapons. With Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli retiring in quick succession, Kuldeep Yadav suddenly finds himself as one of the more experienced members of the Indian squad.
Shubman Gill’s elevation to Test captaincy marks the beginning of a new era in Indian cricket, coming in the wake of Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format. Alongside Rohit Sharma , who had led India since February 2022, fellow stalwarts Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin have also bid farewell to Tests since the start of India’s last Test series.
Taking from where Rohit Sharma left following his recent retirement announcement from India’s test cricket, the Men in White will now be led by Shubman Gill. BCCI named the 25-year-old young talent as India’s new Test cricket captain. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been selected as vice-captain for the upcoming five-match Test series against England
Kuldeep Yadav’s Test match records
Kuldeep Yadav has a record of 13 test matches and 24 innings. During that period, Kuldeep Yadav has delivered 2,093 balls, concessions 1,241 runs already, and has taken 56 wickets.
Despite limited opportunities in Test cricket, Kuldeep Yadav has done an able job. In 13 Test matches, the left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav has bagged 56 wickets at 22.16. He owns four five-wicket hauls under his belt with the best of 5/40. As per ESPNcricinfo, he owns 38 wickets in nine home matches at 23.39. Meanwhile, he has picked 18 scalps at 19.55 in away matches (home of opposition).
Kuldeep Yadav’s top figures in an innings are 5/40, and in a match, he has a record of 8/113. Kuldeep Yadav also has a bowling average of 22.16, an economy of 3.55,a strike rate of 37.3. This only shows how good he is with his bowling action. These figures support his effectiveness and wicket-taking ability, and as a result, he is also one of the most prominent spinners in India in recent Test appearances.
Kuldeep Yadav has played only two matches in SENA nations (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia). In England, he went wicketless in his solitary outing, in 2018 at Lord’s. He conceded 44 runs from nine overs.
Kuldeep Yadav , who has been under the shadow of Ravichandran Ashwin, will look to cement his place in the Test squad. The left-arm spinner has so far picked 56 wickets from 13 Test matches. Kuldeep Yadav has played only one Test in England – Lord’s, 2018 – where he went wicketless. His record against England is decent, having taken 21 wickets in six matches at an average of 22.28.
Ahead of the England series , Kuldeep Yadav desires to emulate Shane Warne alike performance vs England in the upcoming test series. But everyone was taken aback when announcing the Playing XI at Leeds Kuldeep Yadav had to make way for lone spinner in the form of Ravindra Jadeja. Former Indian wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer calling Kuldeep Yadav as a ‘trump card ‘ expressed his surprize on the exclusion of the left arm Chinaman at Leeds.
Kuldeeo Yadav is your trump card- Farokh Engineer
Former wicketkeeper-batter Farokh Engineer expressed surprise at Kuldeep Yadav’s omission from the opening Test against England, calling the India spinner a “trump card” who should be used in all five games of the series.
India opted for a pace-heavy attack with four quicks and a sole spinner in veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for the series opener at Headingley in Leeds.
“I would have liked Kuldeep Yadav to be in the playing XI. He is your trump card alongside (Jasprit) Bumrah. I would have picked him,” Engineer told PTI on Friday, the first day of the opening Test.
“Since he is a quality bowler, England batters would find it difficult to play him. So, I would play him in all five games,” he added.
The 87-year-old, who featured in 46 Tests for India between 1961 and 1975, also supported new Test captain Shubman Gill, backing the 25-year-old to succeed despite his modest batting record in SENA countries. Farokh Engineer added that while the retirement of stalwarts Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and R Ashwin has undeniably left a void in the Indian Test setup, it also paves the way for the next generation to step up.
India will hope that in the absence of veteran Ravichandran Ashwin , Kuldeep Yadav would emerge as a new spin sensation for India in future starting from England series 2025 if given chance to play in the future tests vs England
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