Latest news with #Kuldeep
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
IND vs ENG, 2nd Test: ‘Kuldeep Yadav should bat at No. 3' - Bold advice from cricket expert
India's decision to leave out from the playing XI for the second Test against England at Edgbaston has drawn sharp criticism, with former India pacer Dodda Ganesh delivering one of the most scathing reactions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Taking to X, Ganesh remarked, ' Kuldeep should bat in top 3 for Uttar Pradesh in the #RanjiTrophy and get some runs, to be picked to play for India in the tests. I don't see any other way he can force his way back into this setup where one's secondary skill dictates the team selection .' The comment, dripping with sarcasm, reflected the widespread frustration over India's growing reliance on all-rounders at the expense of pure specialists. Kuldeep, who last played a Test in 2024 against New Zealand, has featured in just 13 Tests since his 2017 debut despite consistently impressive returns whenever selected. His omission has puzzled fans and experts alike, especially after the left-arm wrist-spinner picked up key wickets in recent matches and showed signs of being in red-hot form. EXCLUSIVE | David Gower on Shubman Gill, Bumrah & India's England Tour Former Australia captain Aaron Finch also joined the chorus of criticism, writing: ' If Bumrah was fit to play then surely you need to pick the best bowler in the world? At the very least Kuldeep has to be in the XI if you're worried about taking 20 wickets. Yes, he might be more expensive but he's the next best attacking option!' Captain Shubman Gill defended the decision, citing a need to bolster the batting after lower-order collapses in the previous Test. ' We were very tempted to play him... but we wanted to add a bit of depth in the batting, ' Gill told Michael Atherton at the toss. Poll Do you think India is over-relying on all-rounders in their Test squad? Definitely, it's a concerning trend Not really, it's a balanced approach But with India needing to take 20 wickets to stay alive in the series, leaving Kuldeep out has only intensified the heat on the team's selection strategy.
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
'Kuldeep Yadav should bat in top 3...': Gambhir's obsession mocked mercilessly as India star told of alternate route
Jul 02, 2025 08:59 PM IST India head coach Gautam Gambhir's obsession with having more all-rounders in the playing XI, in order to balance the batting and the bowling department, adding more depth to both, is no secret to anyone. And it was once again on display when India made as many as three changes for the second Test match against England in Birmingham on Wednesday. However, with Kuldeep Yadav paying the price yet again, experts were left baffled, one of whom ridiculed Gambhir for offering the spinner an alternate route to crack the selection criteria. India's left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav during practice at the Headingley ground(HT_PRINT) Taking to social media, former Indian cricketer Dodda Ganesh was baffled at Kuldeep's absence from the playing XI. Taking a dig at Gambhir, Ganesh urged Kuldeep to excel as a top-order batter during the upcoming Ranji Trophy season for Uttar Pradesh to get through to the playing XI. 'Kuldeep should bat in top 3 for Uttar Pradesh in the #RanjiTrophy and get some runs, to be picked to play for India in the tests. I don't see any other way he can force his way back into this setup where one's secondary skill dictates the team selection,' he tweeted. Why did India not pick Kuldeep Yadav? Kuldeep was highly backed for a place in the playing XI amid the debate around Jasprit Bumrah's availability for the Edgbaston Test. With India struggling to pick wickets in the series opener in Leeds, where Bumrah was the only standout bowler, with a first-innings five-wicket haul, the leg-spinner was touted to make his second appearance in Test cricket in English soil. However, the team management backed all-rounder Washington Sundar as the second spinner alongside Ravindra Jadeja in the playing XI. "We were tempted to play Kuldeep but looking at the last match, our lower order didn't do well, so decided to add some depth to the batting," captain Shubman Gill explained after losing the toss and put to bat first in Birmingham.
NDTV
11 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Baffled Sunil Gavaskar Blasts India XI vs England: "Kuldeep Yadav Wasn't Picked, Top-Order Is Not Getting..."
Sunil Gavaskar, former Indian cricket team captain, was unhappy with the side's combination for the second Test against England that started in Birmingham on Wednesday. India made three changes to the side that played the first Test including batting allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, spin allrounder Washington Sundar and pacer Akash Deep. However, specialist spinner Kuldeep Yadav was not picked. Gavaskar felt that the Birmingham pitch could have aided Kuldeep's skills. "I'm a little baffled that Kuldeep wasn't picked, because on a pitch like this, where everybody says there's a little more turn," said on Sony Sports (via Sportskeeda) "If your top-order batters are not giving you the runs you expect, then Washington at seven or Nitish Reddy at eight won't necessarily fix that, because those weren't the batters who failed you in the first Test. You scored 830 runs. You didn't score 380 in two innings — it was 830-plus. That's a lot of runs. "So, where you needed strengthening was in the wicket-taking department, not so much in the batting." Former India head coach Ravi Shastri expressed disbelief at India's decision to rest a fully fit Jasprit Bumrah from the second Test against England, asserting that the pace spearhead should not have been given the option to sit out of a crucial game. India, enduring a rough patch in Test cricket since October last year, have managed just one win in their last nine matches, marking their worst run in over a decade. Shubman Gill and his men lost the opening Test against England by five wickets in Leeds. "If you look at the run, India has had, this becomes a very, very important test match. You've lost three against New Zealand, you've lost three against Australia," Shastri told 'Sky Sports'. "You've lost the first Test match here and you want to get back to winning ways. You have the best fast bowler in the world, and you make him sit out after seven days of rest, it's something very hard to believe," he said. Bumrah had claimed his 14th five-wicket haul in the first innings at Leeds. After the toss on Wednesday, Gill told former England batter Michael Atherton that Bumrah was rested to manage his workload. "Just to manage his workload. We did get a good break and this is an important match for us. But the third Test being at Lord's, we think there'll be more in that pitch so we'll use him there,' Gill said.
Mint
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Mint
Sunil Gavaskar fumes at Shubman Gill & Co for Kuldeep Yadav snub; ‘I'm baffled; Washington, Reddy won't fix that…'
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar fumed at India captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir for keeping Kuldeep Yadav out of the playing XI against England in the second Test on Wednesday in Birmingham. India made three changes from their side in the first Test, including that of premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Although the resting of Bumrah in Birmingham was always on a debate, experts and former cricketers were certain that Kuldeep will come into the side considering his wicket-taking prowess and the fact that the pitch at Edgbaston assists spinners. Speaking to Sony Sports Network, Gavaskar said he was baffled at Kuldeep's snub. 'I'm a little baffled that Kuldeep wasn't picked, because on a pitch like this, where everybody says there's a little more turn,' said the legendary cricketer. India did pick a second spinner in Washington Sundar, replacing Shardul Thakur, in the playing XI. Nitish Kumar Reddy was the third change in the Indian side, adding a batting depth down the order. Gavaskar said having Sundar and Reddy won't help India as batting was never a problem for the visitors. "If your top-order batters are not giving you the runs you expect, then Washington at seven or Nitish Reddy at eight won't necessarily fix that, because those weren't the batters who failed you in the first Test. You scored 830 runs. You didn't score 380 in two innings — it was 830-plus. That's a lot of runs," said the 75-year-old. Earlier, Gill reasoned India's move to include Sundar and Reddy as to add more depth in batting considering the lower-order failure in both innings of the first Test.
NDTV
13 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Shubman Gill's Strange Reason Behind Not Picking Kuldeep Yadav For 2nd India vs England Test
Ravichandran Ashwin 's exit from the Indian team seemed to have paved the way for Kuldeep Yadav to cement a spot in India's Test team but India head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Shubman Gill seem to have other ideas. Despite being tempted to play second spinner in the second Test against England at Edgbaston, the Gill-Gambhir duo decided to snub Kuldeep, and instead picked Washington Sundar in the team. When asked about the reason behind snubbing Kuldeep, arguably a better spinner than Sundar, Gill cited 'batting depth as the reason'. "We were tempted to play Kuldeep (Yadav) but decided to add some depth to the batting," he said. Earlier, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif had said that it would be 'unfair' if Kuldeep isn't picked in the team. It will be unfair if Kuldeep Yadav doesn't get into the playing XI for second Test. He has just played 13 Tests in 8 years. Earlier he was kept out because of Ashwin now how do you justify his exclusion. — Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 1, 2025 Gautam Gambhir seems to have played a role in Sundar's selection over Kuldeep too. The head coach's admiration for the spin-bowling all-rounder isn't hidden from anyone. It is also well known that Gambhir prefers a utility player like Sundar over a one-dimensional player like Kuldeep. It was also confirmed that India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will return to the playing eleven against England in the third Test at Lord's next week after sitting out of the second match in Edgbaston, captain Shubman Gill said on Wednesday. Bumrah was rested from the second Test, which began here on Wednesday, as part of his workload management. He played in the first Test at Leeds which India lost by five wickets. "Third Test being at Lord's, we think there'll be more in that pitch so we'll use him there," Gill said at the toss for the second game here. The third Test is scheduled to start on July 10. The Indian team management had declared at the start of the series that Bumrah will only play in three Tests out of five.
