He last featured in a Test match on home soil in October 2024.
As the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 nears a decisive phase, all eyes are on the fourth Test. England lead the five-match series 2-1, making the Manchester Test a must-win for India to keep themselves in the hunt. In the build-up to the crucial match, former England captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton discussed the potential changes to both teams’ playing combinations. England may go into the 4th Test with just one spinner, Liam Dawson, replacing the injured Shoaib Bashir. As for India, the former players have weighed in on whether Kuldeep Yadav should be included in the playing XI.
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Michael Atherton believes India must include their specialist chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav. He pointed out that the pitches at Old Trafford have become significantly flatter in recent years.
“I still kind of been calling for Kuldeep a little bit all series. I think he’s going to play Old Trafford. I was chatting briefly to Jimmy last night. He said they have been very flat. Since they turned the square around, which is a long time ago now, the pitches haven’t had the pace that they used to have. And said in particular, he said there’s a couple of pitches on the ends that have got a bit of zing, but in the middle where the televised pitches are, just flat. And you know, wrist spin goes well at Old Trafford,” said Atherton on Sky Sports Cricket podcast.
The pitches might not be the only factor India considers for their playing XI. With Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management, questions remain over India’s pace bowling attack.
“I was wondering whether they could go like Bumrah, Siraj, and then play their three spinners. Washington Sundar, [Ravindra] Jadeja, and Kuldeep, but you don’t know the forecast in Manchester. That’s the other thing if it’s going to be cooler and showeryand whether the fast bowlers then come into it, but I think that’s an option India should think about,” Atherton added.
The 30-year-old Indian spinner has played 13 matches in his eight-year-long Test career so far. Kuldeep has a whopping 56 wickets to his name at an average of 22.16 and less than four RPO. However, he last featured in a Test match on home soil in October 2024.
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Liam Dawson was named in the squad after Shoaib Bashir fractured his thumb during the Lord’s Test. The left-arm orthodox spinner is likely to make his Test return after a prolonged gap of eight years. Hussain believes Dawson’s inclusion would add depth to England’s batting and bowling line-ups.
“I was thinking if Dawson comes in, that would be, say [Chris] Woakes doesn’t play, he looks a bit knackered. You’d have Dawson at No.8, you’d have [Gus] Atkinson if he comes in at No.9, you could have [Brydon] Carse at No.10 and [Jofra] Archer at No.11 or [Mark] Wood when he comes in. That’s a good lower order. And obviously, Dawson is a very, very useful left-arm spinner as well. I think that’s the right way to go,” Hussain opined.
Dawson last played against South Africa in Nottingham in 2017. Though he has represented England in only three Tests, Dawson has been successful in domestic competitions. The southpaw has garnered 10,731 runs and 371 wickets to his name in 212 first-class matches. The 35-year-old returned to the national side during the T20I series against the West Indies. He emerged as the joint-highest wicket-taker of the series alongside Luke Wood. The Hampshire spinner picked up five wickets in three matches, averaging 19.40 at an economy of 8.08.
England will meet India on July 23 to kick off the penultimate Test at Old Trafford.
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