Kuldeep Yadav in Test cricket (Source:@academy_dinda/X.com)
India's squad for the two-match Test series against West Indies is out, and as expected, India have gone with a spin-heavy unit for home conditions. There are only three frontline pacers in the squad, while there are four spin bowling options.
One of them is Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm wrist spinner is widely considered one of the most skilled bowlers in the world, but despite all the praise and on-field performances, he has failed to find a regular place in the Indian Test playing XI.
Kuldeep ignored in England for batting depth
Recently, Kuldeep Yadav sat out of the entire five-match Test series against England despite the Indian bowling group finding it hard to pick 20 wickets on a few occasions. The reason for it was that the team wanted more depth in the batting line-up, and thus, Washington Sundar was preferred over him.
So, will Kuldeep Yadav sit out against West Indies too? Some will argue that it is a home Test series and with pitches expected to assist spinners, India are bound to select Kuldeep Yadav. However, things have not been that simple for Kuldeep Yadav over the years, and neither are they expected to be during the West Indies series.
Extra batting cushion in spin-friendly conditions & hint from previous omissions
Kuldeep Yadav made his debut way back in 2017 against Australia in Dharamsala. He picked four wickets in that Test, and it looked like he would play a big role in India's Test assignments in future. However, the same issue of batting depth kept halting Kuldeep Yadav, and with the quality of Ashwin and Jadeja at India's disposal, Kuldeep never got a chance when India played two or one spinner overseas.
Whenever India needed a third spinner in home conditions, there was a temptation to go with Axar Patel, who is a capable batter along with a good spinner on turning tracks. In early 2024, though, India found a way to give four consecutive home Tests to Kuldeep Yadav and the spinner impressed with 19 wickets in those.
He also played in the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand later that year, but was not trusted after India lost the first Test at home. The mindset that India need batting depth crept in, and Washington Sundar replaced Kuldeep Yadav in Pune. Sundar did brilliantly and, since then, has played over Kuldeep Yadav in home as well as away conditions.
India's Spin Bowling Options In Home Tests
| Criterion | Ravindra Jadeja | Kuldeep Yadav | Washington Sundar | Axar Patel |
| Matches | 49 | 9 | 5 | 12 |
| Wickets | 238 | 38 | 18 | 47 |
| Average | 20.71 | 23.39 | 19.77 | 18.65 |
| 5w/10w | 13/3 | 2/0 | 1/1 | 5/1 |
| Batting Runs | 2023 | 133 | 270 | 594 |
| Bat Average | 37.46 | 12.09 | 67.50 | 39.60 |
| 100/50s | 3/13 | 0/0 | 0/2 | 0/4 |
Now, for the West Indies series, out of the four spin-bowling options, three are all-rounders. Ravindra Jadeja is a sure starter, while Washington Sundar did well in the last home series as well as in England. Axar Patel has a batting average of close to 40 and has 47 wickets in just 12 home Tests. Thus, there would be a great temptation to include him in the playing XI as well and given Gambhir's preference for a long batting all-rounder and multi-faceted players, Axar has a great chance to get into the XI.
Conclusion:
In that case, Kuldeep Yadav could sit out again unless conditions demand India to go with four spinners in their playing XI. However, even on rank-turners in Pune and Mumbai, India went with three spinners in their last home Test series, which shows that Kuldeep Yadav's place in the playing XI is in danger again. Kuldeep Yadav has been considered as a bowler with x-factor and who can make the ball talk on flat batting decks too. However, on pitches which are spin-friendly, the likes of Axar Patel and Washington Sundar have also been very effective and thus Kuldeep finds himself in a tricky position once again.
Thus, if India play three spinners against West Indies, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel could be the three choices. All three of them have done exceptionally well with the ball in home Tests, while they have also done well with the bat, which has been a priority of the new management under Gautam Gambhir. They will also provide the cushion lower down the order if the conditions prove tough for the batters in Ahmedabad and Delhi.
