Former India spinner Anil Kumble feels Kuldeep Yadav should be a part of India’s Test squad and he should be given an opportunity to play whenever possible. The left-arm wrist-spinner, however, is not part of India’s Test squad for the ongoing series against the West Indies and he has only been picked for the white-ball series. Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, all three finger-spinners, are part of the squad for the Test as well.
During a discussion on JioCinema, Kumble said: “He should definitely be there because he is a very good bowler. Leg-spinners are very attacking bowlers and it is also difficult at times, they concede runs as well but you need to take a leg-spinner along with you and groom him, and whenever you get a chance, he should be given an opportunity.”
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While saying that Kuldeep Yadav has done well whenever given a chance, the veteran opened up on the lack of bowlers of his ilk in Test cricket. Kuldeep has claimed 34 wickets at a stunning average of 21.55 in eight Tests. He registered figures of 5/40 and 3/73 in Bangladesh’s two innings in the last Test he played in December 2022 but has not been given a chance after that. He also feels wrist-spinners are not being seen in Test cricket as well.
“Kuldeep Yadav is a very good spinner for Test matches. He has given very good performances whenever he has got a chance as well. There are a lot of wrist-spinners in white-ball formats. We are not getting to see them much in Test matches,” he added. “Don’t know about that but Ashwin and Jadeja are doing a very good job for the Indian team currently. Both are high-quality spin bowlers. The third spinner is also Axar Patel, he has done extremely well whenever he has got an opportunity.”
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“As I said, Kuldeep Yadav should also be kept alongside them and played whenever you get a chance. He has picked up 34 wickets in eight matches and his average is also very good. He has picked up three five-wicket hauls in just eight matches. That’s an amazing record,” he concluded.
