Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has opined that Kuldeep Yadav hasn’t convinced the Indian team with his bowling yet ahead of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Kuldeep was part of the ODI team against England but didn’t even get a single game against the hosts.
The wrist-spinner was not included in the third ODI despite the absence of gun fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Since July 2024, Kuldeep has featured in 38 games out of 103 matches across all formats for India.
Kuldeep has scalped 194 ODI wickets in 121 matches at an average of 27.05 and thus has an impressive record in the 50-over format.
Yadav has surprisingly featured in only 18 Test matches for India despite making his Test debut back in 2017.
Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube Channel, “However, Kuldeep doesn’t get consistent opportunities, so there is still some doubt over whether he will play or not. We assume that he will, but he hasn’t convinced the Indian team with his bowling yet. Whether it is Shubman Gill or Gautam Gambhir, they don’t seem completely convinced by Kuldeep’s bowling. He remains in the squad, but he doesn’t always get to play. So, I’m still a little doubtful about whether they will play him or not.”
On the other hand, Auqib Nabi Dar has been named as Jasprit Bumrah’s replacement, but Kaif reckons the Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler might not get his chance in the first Test against Sri Lanka.
“No, I don’t think he (Auqib Nabi) will get a chance in the first match. Because, if you look at it, I’m considering Kuldeep Yadav, and Manav Suthar can also contribute with the bat, so he could come in at No. 8. Nabi might not get the opportunity to play the first match because Mohammed Siraj will play the Test.
Kaif said the team would likely back two fast bowlers in Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna along with Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja.
“On a slow pitch, I’m looking at two fast bowlers, along with Kuldeep, Jadeja and Manav Suthar. If we talk about the bowling combination, Siraj will be there, and the team also has Prasidh Krishna. Yes, Krishna could get a chance because he is a relatively experienced bowler. So, they could go with two fast bowlers in Siraj and Krishna, along with three spinners in Suthar, Jadeja and Kuldeep,” he added.
India will take on Sri Lanka in a two-match Test series, starting August 15.
