Legendary Indian spinner Anil Kumble feels young Indian wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav needs to be part of the Indian test squad and provided the opportunity to play for the team whenever it is possible. The left-arm chinaman spinner could not find a place in the India test squad due to the presence of experienced Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja with Axar Patel being back up for them.
Kuldeep Yadav made his Test debut against Australia in Dharamsala in March 2017. However, he has only featured in eight Tests, claiming 34 wickets at an average of 21.55, and has found him out of the favour from the test team, as India opts to play Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the longer format.
During the discussion in Jiocinema, Anil Kumble feels that Kuldeep Yadav should be part of the India test setup, as he can be an attacking option for the Indian team in the future and wants him to be groomed for the future and feels that wrist spinner has done a phenomenal job for the Indian team in the longer format, whenever provided an opportunity.
“He should definitely be there because he is a very good bowler. Leg-spinners are very attacking bowlers and it is also difficult at times, they concede runs as well but you need to take a leg-spinner along with you and groom him, and whenever you get a chance, he should be given an opportunity.”
“Kuldeep Yadav is a very good spinner for Test matches. He has given very good performances whenever he has a chance. There are a lot of wrist spinners in white-ball formats. We are not getting to see them much in Test matches,” Anil Kumble said.
Kuldeep has shown the ability to pick up wickets consistently across the formats, as he has provided a different dimension to India’s bowling if the games are played on slow wickets, then the role of the left-arm chinaman spinner would be crucial for the team’s success in home soil.
Ashwin And Jadeja Are Doing A Very Good Job For The Indian Team – Anil Kumble
When asked about the lack of opportunity for Kuldeep Yadav in test cricket, Anil Kumble feels that Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are doing a good job for the team at present, which doesn’t allow the team to try out spinners in the team, especially with the Availability of Axar Patel being the backup option in the team.
“Don’t know about that but Ashwin and Jadeja are doing a very good job for the Indian team currently. Both are high-quality spin bowlers. The third spinner is also Axar Patel, he has done extremely well whenever he has got an opportunity,” Anil Kumble added.
With Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja being on the wrong side of the ’30s, it would be high time for the Indian team management to groom youngsters for the future as the spinner role for the Indian team would be extremely crucial for the team in the sub-continental conditions.