Describing Kuldeep Yadav’s situation as ‘bizarre’, former India off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin questioned the way the left arm wrist spinner was handled. He noted how the Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma-led management ‘saw the proof in the pudding’ when they strongly backed Kuldeep, but Gautam Gambhir and Co. have left him in the lurch again.
Under Dravid’s coaching from November 2021 to June 2024, and Rohit’s captaincy across formats, Kuldeep played six Tests, 38 ODIs, and 17 T20Is. However, since Gautam Gambhir took over as the head coach in July 2024, his appearances have been limited to six Tests, 17 ODIs and 14 T20Is. Despite being a part of the squad across all formats, Kuldeep has had a frustrating run lately. He played just one match in India’s victorious campaign at the 2026 T20 World Cup with Varun Chakaravarthy preferred over him. Kuldeep has also not been picked for India’s upcoming T20 assignments.
“Kuldeep, when the last team management was around with Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma, he was well backed, and everyone saw the proof in the pudding as he was delivering match-winning performances. But again in the last 18 months, Kuldeep finds himself with a lot of question marks, said Ashwin to a media house.
Ashwin admitted that Kuldeep didn’t help himself with his IPL 2026 performances, as he managed only 10 wickets at a career-high economy rate of 10.30. He remained in the Test squad and started the ongoing match against Afghanistan. Ashwin asked him to make it count and make sure that things don’t get too out of his hands on the flat home tracks.
Ashwin stressed that “Test cricket must now be his priority, and he must take it on,” and urged him to use it as a platform to cement his position in the team.