In the second Test of the ongoing five-match series against England, the Indian team management did a gamble of playing two spinners and they had gone with R. Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav. The move backfired, as conditions were completely favoring the seamers and as a result of that India received an innings defeat against England.

Kuldeep, who conceded 44 runs and went wicket-less in nine overs in that game was dropped from the next game and later sent back to India to play in India A series against Australia A after the third Test. Talking about him returning back to India for the unofficial Tests, he termed that playing in India is better than warming the bench in England. 

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Yadav elaborated, “I spoke to (Chairman of Selectors) M.S.K. Prasad sir and India head coach Ravi (Shastri) sir before leaving England. They told me to play as much cricket as possible. The conditions in England were such that a team can play only one spinner. So opportunities for me were few. I’d rather play here, as sitting out of the Indian team does not really help me. These two unofficial Tests are very important for me, as I can build my red-ball experience.”

Kuldeep is working on getting his rhythm back while playing for India A as it will help him to prepare for the West Indies series. 

When asked about the difference between playing in front of the huge crowd in England than to a near-empty M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kuldeep replied, “There were big crowds to watch the Test series against England. Here, you hardly get a crowd, so you need to find motivation. I tell myself that I should focus on performing at my best regardless of which team I represent.”