Former Team Indiabatter Robin Uthappa has advised left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav to work on his batting prowess to play Tests for India regularly. The 30-year-old went to England with Team India for the
Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 but didn’t get selected in the 11-member squad in any of the five matches. Instead of him, the India team management preferred all-rounder Washington Sundar, who not only reinforced the spin department with Ravindra Jadeja but also did a decent job as a batter.
During the red-ball series, India’s team management faced ire of fans for not picking up Kuldeep. Morne Morkel, India bowling coach during the fourth Test in Manchester, revealed that the team management wanted to induct the spin wizard in the playing XI but the focus was on providing depth to the batting unit.
Noting Kuldeep warming benches throughout the last series, Robin feels that Yadav should gain batting skills to be a part of India’s Test XI consistently, however, the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) stalwart said it will require a lot of effort from Kuldeep’s side. "Put Kuldeep in the 11 and make sure your batting is still in a state where none of the fans will go after the team management or the captain. With all due respect to Kuldeep's prowess with the ball, he's got limitations to his batting. That's going to take a lot of effort from his side. (Ravichandran) Ashwin has got five or six Test hundreds. If Kuldeep can do that at number eight or nine, then he will certainly play more Tests," Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.
Kuldeep Yadav’s Test numbers and last appearance for India
Kuldeep Yadav’s last Test match was against New Zealand in Bengaluru in October 2024. In the first innings of the contest, he took three wickets after bowling 18.3 overs. Despite his decent performance in the game, he didn’t get a place in India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, played in Australia from November 2024 to January 2025.
Discussing Kuldeep’s bowling numbers in red-ball cricket, he has taken 56 wickets in 24 innings of 13 matches. His debut came in March 2017 against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2016-17 game held in Dharamsala. Moreover, he is now slated to play for the Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2025, where he can prove his metal for future opportunites in Indian colours in Test cricket.
