Kuldeep Yadav Could Be Picked In The Playing XI Against England

Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav last played a test match for India when India won its first Border-Gavaskar series in Australia - 2018. He picked up 5/99 in the fourth test match at Sydney - his only appearance in that series. 

Kuldeep has been one of the most consistent players to be picked in the Indian squad for any series. He has been training with the Indian team since 2017. Yet, Yadav is one such player who hardly gets picked in the playing XI.

In test cricket, Kuldeep made his debut in 2017 against Australia at Dharamsala. He had a memorable match as he picked up four wickets. 

His best performance came against West Indies in 2018, where he picked his first five-wicket haul in Saurashtra - 5/57. 
Overall, the Chinaman bowler has played six test matches for India so far and has picked up 24 wickets while averaging 24.13. 

The 26-year-old was not used in any match in the recently concluded Australia tour where India won the series 2-1. Stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane after the series said that India wanted to play an extra batsman because of which Washington Sundar was played ahead of the Kuldeep at Brisbane. 

"It was a really tough call because Kuldeep was there as a spinner and he deserved to play. But then we had to see our best combination for the given day and the Test match. Washington came in because of his batting. I was thinking about playing 5 bowlers and he could give us that option as well," Rahane said in an interview. 

Why India doesn't pick Kuldeep Yadav in playing XI?

India has played 12 test series since Kuldeep Yadav made his debut. In the 33 matches since then, Yadav has played only six. 
One of the reasons for not picking him is the availability of two world-class spinner - R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who contribute with the bat as well.

Jadeja, in particular, has improved a lot in the last three years. India hasn't found much need for a third specialist spinner, especially while in an away game. Kuldeep has only got a chance in an away match when one of the two - Ashwin or Jadeja, are not available. The 26-year-old picked up 5/99 in Australia when Ashwin didn't play the fourth test.

Kuldeep Yadav can be picked in the playing XI against England

The chinaman bowler has taken 14 wickets in three test matches played in India at an average of 24.29. In all three matches, he was supported by Ashwin and Jadeja at the other end. 

With Jadeja not in the squad, at least for the first two tests, Kuldeep is likely to be the second in command alongside Ashwin. 
England has a strong middle order consisting of the likes of Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler in the batting line up. Kuldeep Yadav has taken 58% of his wickets of the middle-order(4-7) batsman. It suggests that Kuldeep can extract good spin and control with the old ball. His different bowling style gives him an advantage over the English batsman. 

Given the record and Kuldeep being a regular in the Indian squad, it won't be a surprise to see him in the playing XI for at least the first two tests against England. 

Probable Playing XI Of India (First Test) - Virat Kohli(C), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, R Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma/ Mohammad Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav