He is currently the second highest wicket-taker in Asia Cup 2025.
The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 had a lot of drama, high-intensity action and debates over team combinations and player selections. And the most talked about point was arguably about wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav and his exclusion in India’s playing XI throughout the series. Many fans and cricket pundits believed that Kuldeep could have been a game-changer for India in the five-match Test series but India didn’t play him in any of the games as they preferred all-rounder Washington Sundar because of his batting credentials.
Eventually, India levelled the series 2-2 with England, courtesy of an inspiring spell from Mohammed Siraj on the final day of The Oval test. The Shubman Gill-led side are now placed third in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table, only behind Australia and Sri Lanka.
Fast forward to the Asia Cup 2025, Kuldeep Yadav has taken most wickets for India, playing a key role in the side’s success so far. He currently has seven wickets to his name in just two games at a staggering average of 3.57 and conceded runs at a mere 4.05 rpo.
Ahead of the last league stage fixture against Oman, India sent Kuldeep Yadav to address the pre-match press conference on Thursday (September 18). When asked about him not getting a chance in England and India’s approach of extra batting depth, Kuldeep revealed that the communication was clear from the team management led by head coach Gautam Gambhir.
“Clear communication tha (There was clear communication). In four matches, I was close to playing, but the team needed batting depth. The message was very clear — it wasn’t about my skills or batting, it was just about the team combination. As a bowler, my primary job is to take wickets, and I’m also working on improving my batting,” said Kuldeep.
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Kuldeep last represented India at the Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand in March earlier this year. He was India’s third-highest wicket-taker with seven wickets in five matches and was a critical cog in the title-winning campaign. However, after that he had to wait for nearly six months for his next India appearance. Echoing on the same lines, the wrist spinner about the challenges of playing an international match after a long break.
“Challenges are always there when you play after a long break. Playing continuously helps you stay in rhythm, but it’s tough when you don’t get enough game time. Still, it was a great learning experience. In the Duleep Trophy, I went wicketless, but it was valuable for me to bowl so many overs,” the spinner said.
Asia Cup defending champions India will square off against Oman in their next fixture in Abu Dhabi on Friday (September 19). The Suryakumar Yadav-led side have already qualified for the Super 4s, after defeating Pakistan and UAE in their first two games.
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