Warne Once Did It, Now It’s Kuldeep’s Turn To Spin England Into Trouble

Kuldeep Yadav. [Source - BCCI/x.com]

For years now, discussions around India's ideal Test XI have often danced around Kuldeep Yadav’s name. Despite his obvious talent, the left-arm wrist spinner has mostly found himself warming the bench in the longest format.

Well, with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja firmly untouchable in the Indian Test setup, there was hardly any room left for the left-arm chinaman to play consistently. However, with Ashwin’s retirement and Jadeja no longer at his charming best, now seems the perfect time for India to turn towards Kuldeep Yadav in Test cricket.

Kuldeep Yadav: India’s potential X-Factor to Conquer England in Tests This Summer

Kuldeep Yadav in training. [Source - Kuldeep Yadav/Instagram]

Personally, if you ask me, I never gave much thought of Kuldeep in the playing XI either, until a recent revisit of KL Rahul’s stunning dismissal at The Oval in 2018. Having scored a sublime hundred, Rahul was undone by a near-unplayable delivery from Adil Rashid.

The ball pitched way outside leg stump, turned outrageously, and clipped the top of off stump. Goosebumps. That was not just a good ball but was the sort of a mini "ball of the century," if you will. And the moment I watched that dismissal, it suddenly made it all click: India needs someone who can do that in England.

Fast forward to 2025, and the narrative has shifted with BazBall redefining how England plays its Test cricket. Their approach is mostly focused on out-batting the opposition, capitalising the lifeless surfaces and the softening Dukes ball.

India’s Bowling Crushed as Bazball Turns Brutal in England

India, on the other hand, has often found themselves running out of ideas when the ball doesn't do much. From absolutely dominating England in their own backyard under Virat Kohli in 2021 to now conceding back-to-back 350+ fourth-innings chases, India's decline in red-ball dominance in England has been quite intriguing.

The Edgbaston Test in 2022 and the recent defeat at Headingley, both saw England pull off their highest-ever successful run chases in Test cricket. Despite piling up over 800 runs, Indian bowlers could not stop the English onslaught and allowed them to get a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. So, what exactly went wrong?

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India’s Bowling Problems in England Go Beyond Just Flat Pitches

To put it simply, this Indian bowling attack seems overly reliant on Jasprit Bumrah. The absence of experienced campaigners like Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami, who once formed India’s greatest pace trio, has left a noticeable void.

Another factor is perhaps a misreading of the surfaces and questionable team selections, particularly by the current team management in the last few Tests, including the decision to play Prasidh Krishna at Headingley, a venue known for its consistent bounce, backfired.

Krishna, a hit-the-deck pacer, struggled with his lengths and was punished by England's aggressive batters back and forth. India desperately needed someone who could bowl fuller and challenge the batters at the stumps.

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Additionally, India’s attempt to strengthen their batting often comes at the cost of a genuine fifth bowler. At Headingley, Shardul Thakur played as a bowler who can add lower order runs, but bowled only 16 overs across both innings, leaving the burden on a limited bowling group and increasing the lack of options for Gill.

Thakur has found success in the past when conditions offered even a hint of assistance for seamers. But on a flat track like Headingley against a high-tempo English batting, India needed a genuine wicket-taker.

So, what can Kuldeep Yadav offer in this scenario?

Well, there has never been any doubt about Kuldeep Yadav’s abilities despite him not playing regularly in the Test XI over the years. As a rare breed of wrist-spinner, the 30-year-old brings a unique skill set to the table and can often be a nightmare for opposition batters.

Since making his Test debut in 2017, Kuldeep has featured in 13 matches and claimed 56 wickets at an impressive average of 22.16. His tally includes four five-wicket hauls, one of which came in Sydney in 2019, during his only Test appearance in Australia.

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In the context of the ongoing England tour, it is quite evident that England loves scoring quick runs, and the more time you give their batters in the middle, the more damage they will do. That is what sets them apart. Attack is their best defence, the essence of BazBall.

So, the key to beating England, remains the oldest truth in Test cricket i.e. take the 20 wickets. Yes, that is the only way forward. And in that quest, Kuldeep Yadav might just be India’s most underutilised weapon.

The Wicket-Taker India Cannot Afford to Overlook

Kuldeep offers India a genuine wicket-taking option, in the context not just his style, but his uniqueness. A left-arm wrist spinner is a rare commodity in world cricket, and rarer with one who controls and turns the ball as much as Kuldeep.

Additionally, Kuldeep will bring a variety in India's bowling who can exploit even the slightest wear and tear on the pitch. Moreover, he is not the defensive spinner you use to keep a check on the run flow and build pressure. He is the kind who takes breakthroughs and opens doors.

Against BazBall where England batters consistently attack conventional finger spin with different range of shots all around the ground, Kuldeep's angle, flight, dip, and variation can seriously disrupt the rhythm of the aggressive English batters.

Do the Numbers Support Kuldeep? Yes They Do

The idea of playing Kuldeep from the Edgbaston Test is not built only on imagination. Kuldeep has quietly been effective against English batters across formats in recent years.

Particularly in Test cricket, even with a limited sample size, when this same England side toured India back in 2024, we saw Kuldeep emerge as India's second-highest wicket-taking spinner after Ashwin.

A total of 19 wickets at an average of 20.15, including a match-winning five-wicket haul in Dharamshala and his strike rate of 36.05 was even better than both Ashwin and Jadeja in the series, highlighting his ability to take wickets in tandem.

Table - Kuldeep Yadav Record against England's Current Top Six Batters in Test

His bowling numbers against each of England’s current top six in Test from the last tour cannot be ignored either, offering quite a clear impression of his effectiveness against the entire English batting unit.

Kuldeep Yadav in the Shadows of Shane Warne

Shane Warne and Kuldeep Yadav. [Source - ICC/BCCI/x.com]

Interestingly, Kuldeep’s potential role this summer can also be a throwback to the legendary wrist spinner Shane Warne. In the early 2000s, on surfaces where Australian pacers barring Glenn McGrath struggled to take wickets, Warne was often the game-changer, turning matches with spells of genius.

These similarities are hard to ignore. Warne had the ability to spin the ball on glass, use roughs on day four and five, and keep the game alive when everything seemed to go against the Aussie quick bowlers.

He claimed 71 wickets at an average of 19.39 across two Ashes tours to England in the early 2000s, more than any Australian fast bowler during those two series. His superior strike-rate of 37.8 outshone all Aussie quicks, including McGrath firmly establishing him as the standout hero of Australia’s invincible Test side on English soil.

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From the Skies, even Warne would want Kuldeep to take the Ball

Coming back to Kuldeep, who is often regarded as the closest to Shane Warne in terms of wrist-spin mastery, brings a different angle and sharper turn, qualities that could see him play a similarly pivotal role for India in England now.

England’s aggressive batting style will never allow traditional bowlers to settle in. India need variety. They need something different. Kuldeep Yadav offers precisely that. He brings the ability to produce unplayable deliveries out of nowhere just like Adil Rashid did to KL Rahul, or like Warne did for Australia a 129 number of times in England.

And let’s not forget, Warne was a great mentor to Kuldeep during his early days. If Kuldeep manages to recreate even a glimpse of what Warne did for Australia, the legend will be smiling from above just like he did in Sydney 2018, when Kuldeep dedicated his five-wicket haul to him, a gesture that moved Warne to tears.

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