Kuldeep: A tale of one step forward and two backward

In the annals of modern Indian cricket, few careers have experienced such dramatic fluctuations as that of Kuldeep Yadav. A bowler of rare art and deceptive skills, the left-arm wrist-spinner has repeatedly found himself on the cusp of cementing his place in the national side only to be abruptly edged out of the scene. 

The most recent chapter in this unpredictable saga unfolded during the just-concluded five-Test series in England. Despite a groundswell public and expert opinion urging his inclusion, Kuldeep did not feature in a single match. The new team management, led by captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir, chose to resist the temptation and went by India’s past experiences and strategic preferences. 

Kuldeep’s Test journey began on a high note in Dharamsala in 2017, where he made a memorable debut against Australia. Despite the early promise, he played only four Tests in the following 16 months. This was still understandable as R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had firmly established themselves as India’s frontline spinners and opportunities were few and far between. However, what followed after the Sydney Test on India’s historic 2018–19 tour of Australia was more puzzling. In the afterglow of India’s maiden series triumph Down Under, then coach Ravi Shastri hailed Kuldeep as India’s “No. 1 spinner in overseas Tests.”

Fact check: Kuldeep is yet to play another overseas Test.

What could have stung him more was the inclusion of former left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem from among stand-bys against South Africa in 2019 ahead of Kuldeep, who was in the main squad. This decision probably dealt a severe blow to his confidence and hurt his ego. Soon, his fortunes in all three formats dipped sharply. A mix of poor form, injuries and self-doubt led to his eventual exclusion from the national setup.

Just when it seemed Indian cricket had lost a special talent, a lifeline appeared during the Rahul Dravid–Rohit Sharma era. They backed Kuldeep as their first-choice spinner in white-ball cricket, helping him regain rhythm and resettle in top-flight cricket. This faith was extended to the longer format during the 2024 home series against England, where he claimed 19 wickets in four Tests and made an emphatic statement of his quality

Ironically, a knee injury that required surgery may have been the turning point in his career. The forced break allowed Kuldeep to reflect deeply and introspect honestly. During rehabilitation, he confronted past failures, reconciled with disappointments and focused on evolving his craft. The novelty that had initially made him unplayable was no longer enough; he needed to reinvent and recalibrate himself.

While Kuldeep eased back into national setup with white-ball formats, he was too good a bowler not to be playing Tests. While India’s fixation with playing an all-rounder as the fifth bowling option to provide depth in batting has often resulted in the exclusion of a better bowler, be it Ashwin in overseas Tests or Kuldeep at home, an injury to Axar Patel meant Kuldeep played the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam and took crucial wickets to reestablish his red-ball credentials. 

Left-arm wrist-spinners are a rare breed in cricket, and Kuldeep’s skill set, including his ability to bowl deadly wrong’uns, makes him dangerous. While wrist-spinners have a propensity to leak runs, their ability to turn the ball even on unhelpful surfaces makes them potent attacking weapons. However, India’s tactical template in England meant his superior bowling trumped by Washington Sundar’s all-round abilities.

While Gill-Gambhir may stand vindicated at the end of an exciting drawn series, the question now is whether Kuldeep finds himself back at square one. Perhaps not, but he needs to remain hopeful and not sulk and lose his edge as a bowler like he has done in the past. While the team management has every right not to compromise in the strategy it believes in, sensitive handling of the situation would go a long way in restoring his morale.