India’s tour of England is in its final stages but one name fans expected to see never made it into action: Kuldeep Yadav. Supporters everywhere rounded on the selectors: “Why not give Kuldeep a Test in England?” Yet despite calls after Lord’s and even Manchester, he wasn’t picked. Here's why India prioritized a batting option and stuck with a two-spinner strategy.
The Batting-Spinner Trade-Off
Kuldeep did not get a chance because India consistently opted for one extra batter in the order. The duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar already offered spin-plus-bat value. That meant to introduce Kuldeep, the team would have had to play three spinners in England—something India hadn’t done in recent memory. A three-spinner strategy in England against seam-friendly conditions did not align with the team’s tactical comfort zone. Despite Kuldeep’s wrist-spin variety, the management avoided disrupting their balance mid-tour.
Limited Test Exposure in SENA Conditions
Kuldeep has only played two away Tests in SENA countries before this series—Lord’s in 2018 (where he went wicketless) and Sydney in 2019 (where he notched a five-wicket haul). Since then, he featured in just one away Test, at Chittagong in 2022. For a specialist spinner like him, lack of exposure to overseas conditions made it a difficult proposition to throw him into the England series unless the conditions demanded his inclusion.
The Manchester Gamble That Didn’t Pay
Even in Manchester, India could have played Kuldeep instead of Shardul Thakur. But they didn’t. Shardul wasn’t given many overs either, yet his inclusion was based on the fact that he provided batting depth. Meanwhile, England’s Oval Test lineup dropped all frontline spinners—choosing four genuine pacers instead. Had India played Kuldeep, India would have had to field three spinners again, making selection even less plausible given England’s seam-heavy attack, which in turn highlighted how it was always going to be a green top.
Final Verdict: Not a Mistake, But a Management Decision
Yes, critics can argue that Kuldeep deserved a chance. But the reality: England conditions, team balance, and India's strategy to have extra batting depth made his inclusion a high-risk strategic switch. Assigning blame solely to the team management ignores the complex calculus behind cricketing decisions.
Kuldeep Yadav remains a world-class spinner. Missing this series didn’t damage his reputation. It highlighted the challenges of team combination in Test cricket and showed how sometimes, what fans want and what strategy demands simply don’t align.
