Kuldeep Yadav has done almost everything expected of a Test-match bowler-taken wickets, won matches and repeatedly fought his way back after setbacks.
Yet, despite possessing a skill few bowlers in world cricket can replicate, the left-arm wrist-spinner continues to find himself on the margins of India’s plans. Former India spinner Maninder Singh believes the problem extends beyond balance or conditions: the team management may simply not have enough confidence in Kuldeep. With Manav Suthar announcing his arrival with a ten-wicket haul, Maninder has now warned that Kuldeep must respond before the battle for India’s spin places begins to leave him behind.
“The basic problem is that with Kuldeep, I don’t think the team management is also very confident about him. Otherwise, we would have played him in England in those five Test matches. The result of that series would have been different; India would have won 3-1. Because we all know that English batters don’t play wrist spinners too well,” the former left-arm spinner told Sports Now in an exclusive interview.
“And then bowlers of that breed, there aren’t too many in world cricket. So we should have played him there, but somewhere down the line I feel that management is not very confident about him. And when they’re selecting teams, I don’t understand why they are going with bowlers who can give them 20 overs and then give them some runs as well, instead of having somebody who could give you 20 overs and get you four or five wickets,” he questioned.
Maninder acknowledged that Kuldeep had previously gone through a phase in which his rhythm and sharpness deserted him. However, he stressed that the bowler worked his way back-and suggested that India’s selection approach, rather than any continuing decline in Kuldeep’s craft, has since become the greater obstacle.
“A couple of years ago he had lost his rhythm. He wasn’t getting the kind of nip that you expect from a bowler. But then he worked hard, and he came back. But since then, I’ve noticed we’re basically playing bits-and-pieces all-rounders. That there is a bowler who will give us 20 overs, and he’ll bat for us as well. Why wouldn’t you want a bowler who will give you 25 overs and get you four wickets? So that situation won’t arise where you need to cushion your batting,” Maninder opined.
Suthar’s spectacular emergence has now added another complication. Maninder believes Kuldeep cannot afford to wait for selection circumstances to turn in his favour; he must force the coaches and selectors to keep him at the centre of the conversation.
“He has to work harder. When there is competition, you have to work harder. You have to convince your coaches and coaching staff and selectors that I’m there; don’t write me off. So he should be breathing right up Manav Suthar’s neck. Now it depends on his character, how hard he works, and what he does,” he concluded.
in the second Test against Sri Lanka due to a viral illness from which he had not recovered ahead of the . However, his figures in the first Test match at Galle are far from impressive: he went wicketless in the second innings and returned with 1 for 65 in the first innings.
Kuldeep’s predicament is therefore no longer merely about numbers or even his undeniable ability. It is about trust, team construction and whether India still value a specialist’s capacity to take wickets above the comfort offered by additional batting depth. Suthar’s arrival should not automatically close the door on Kuldeep, but it has made the competition considerably more urgent. At the peak of his bowling years, Kuldeep now faces perhaps the strangest battle of his career: not proving that he is good enough for Test cricket, but ensuring India do not overlook a match-winner they already know they possess.