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Morne Morkel Argues, but Was Dropping Kuldeep Yadav a Wise Option in the ENG vs IND 4th Test?

Darpan Jain

Last updated: July 26, 2025

3 min read

Kuldeep could have been mighty useful at Old Trafford.

It’s been four matches in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, but Kuldeep Yadav has yet to get a game. He has been in talks before every game, and the management accepts the temptation to have him in the XI, but Kuldeep still remains on the bench.

After Indian bowlers endured an energy-sapping day in Manchester on Day 3, Morne Morkel came to attend the press conference, where he handled a load of tough questions from the media. Among them was a question regarding Kuldeep’s unavailability for this game, which became more questionable after India’s poor performance in the contest.

“I think it’s finding when he comes in, how we can find balance and how we can get that batting line-up to be a little bit longer and stronger. We’ve seen in the past that we’ve lost wickets in clumps. Kuldeep is world class and he’s bowling really well at the moment, so we’re trying our best to find ways for him to get in. But unfortunately, with that, just to balance with batting throws it out a little bit.”

Kuldeep could have been mighty useful at Old Trafford, where spinners have had some help, as visible by the bowling performances of Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Both spinners have taken two wickets each in the second innings, while Liam Dawson also bowled a fine spell in the first innings, where he dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal and conceded 45 runs in 15 overs on his comeback.

Why hasn’t Kuldeep Yadav got a game on the England tour?

As Morne Morkel pointed out, India have consistently opted for batting depth, which meant Kuldeep Yadav, who can also bat a bit, hasn’t had a game yet. In the first game, India played Shardul Thakur as the fourth seamer over Kuldeep, and Ravindra Jadeja was their only spinner.

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Then, they roped in Washington Sundar for the second Test because he is a better batter than Kuldeep and added Nitish Kumar Reddy for Thakur for more batting value. For the third Test, the team persisted with the same combination, with Jasprit Bumrah in for Prasidh Krishna.

At Old Trafford, India again went for Shardul Thakur when they had a chance to bring in Kuldeep in Nitish’s absence, given that Thakur’s bowling, which is his primary role, has never been encouraging. However, the obsession with batting depth meant Kuldeep, despite all the praise for being in good rhythm, continues to watch India toil on the field helplessly.

This management fails to understand that an extra bowler can automatically help the opposition score fewer runs and ease the workload on batters, but an additional batter doesn’t necessarily contribute. For instance, during the Lord’s Test, the batting depth meant nothing when India had a partly 193-run target in the fourth innings, and Kuldeep Yadav could have helped India bundle England a lot earlier in the first innings and reduce the target later in the final dig.

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