Is Kuldeep Yadav losing the trust of his own captain? Well, Ravichandran Ashwin thinks so. The former India spinner feels that Test captain Shubman Gill is not keen on keeping Kuldeep Yadav as his main spinner. Ashwin said this has created a very, very difficult situation for Kuldeep. According to him, Kuldeep’s quality has not gone down at all but he is still being kept behind an ageing Ravindra Jadeja and newcomer Manav Suthar.
This was clearly seen in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Kuldeep Yadav bowled only 25 overs in the entire match, while both Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar bowled more than 20 overs in each innings. Part of the problem was also Kuldeep’s own doing. He started well in both innings but lost control as his spells went on.
However, Ashwin pointed out an interesting thing. When KL Rahul took over the captaincy for a short time while Shubman Gill was off the field, he showed much more trust in Kuldeep. Rahul and Kuldeep were teammates at Delhi Capitals and Rahul brought him into the attack quickly.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin explained that Kuldeep Yadav looked like the third-choice spinner in the attack. He said that when Rahul was leading, he immediately used Kuldeep, which shows that Shubman Gill as captain may not see Kuldeep as his first priority. He called it a very tough spot for Kuldeep to be in.
This is not new. Kuldeep Yadav has been slowly losing his place in the Indian team across all formats in the last few months. Ashwin has said many times before that there was a time when Kuldeep was the leader of the bowling attack even when Ashwin himself was playing but now that feels like a very long time ago.
Ashwin further defended Kuldeep Yadav, saying his skills have not disappeared. He said the team has kept him out match after match, and even when he finally gets a chance, he is not used properly. So it is not the player’s fault.
Ashwin’s comments have come at a crucial time. There are reports that Kuldeep might be dropped for off-spinner Saransh Jain for the second Test against Sri Lanka, which will be played in Colombo on Sunday.
Tough times for Kuldeep Yadav!
