Why Kuldeep Yadav’s Sri Lanka tour could decide his India future

In international cricket, a year almost feels like an eternity. It was just 12 months ago that there were debates surrounding Kuldeep Yadav’s non-inclusion in the playing XI during the Test series in England. The arguments were that the left-arm spinner’s guile and variety would have been the perfect counter to England’s ‘Bazball’ approach. It could have been the difference between India winning away and settling for a draw, many said.

Things have changed since then. A dip in form in white-ball cricket has meant Kuldeep has barely had any game time with the Indian team. The Gautam Gambhir-coached side has played 34 international fixtures across formats since the start of the year. Kuldeep has featured in just nine of them. Only three have come since the New Zealand series in January.

It did not help that the wrist spinner endured a mediocre Indian Premier League season with Delhi Capitals, picking up 10 wickets at an average of 38.10 and an economy rate of 10.29. The selectors and team management opted for Ravi Bishnoi as the support act to Varun Chakaravarthy in the recent T20I series against England. In the ODIs, Kuldeep was left warming the bench in favour of Washington Sundar and could not feature even after the off-spinner suffered an injury.

This was a clear indication that there had been some erosion in the coaching staff’s confidence in the 31-year-old. The reliance on all-rounders to do a job with the ball through the middle overs has become a hallmark of Gambhir’s white-ball reign. Kuldeep has been the player most affected by this.

Things have been slightly better in the red-ball format. The Kanpur-born spinner has been part of the playing XI in each of India’s last five Tests. His 23 wickets comfortably make him India’s most successful bowler across these contests. The ever-reliable Ravindra Jadeja follows with 18. Yet, since making his debut as a 22-year-old against Australia in Mohali in 2017, Kuldeep has played just 18 Tests for his country. That is fewer matches than Suranga Lakmal, Ishant Sharma and Vernon Philander, all of whom last played a Test before 2022.

The lack of a pace-bowling all-rounder capable of withstanding the grind of multi-day cricket has long been Indian cricket’s Achilles heel. Consequently, rather than employing Kuldeep as a more attacking third spinner, the team has frequently felt compelled to field a bowling all-rounder alongside Jadeja and R. Ashwin. It has not helped Kuldeep’s cause that he has failed to make any meaningful contribution with the bat. He averages just 12.31 and has managed to bat out 100 balls in an innings only three times in his career.

But the door has not fully closed on Kuldeep yet. Jadeja’s increased reliability as a middle-order Test batter and the emergence of a bona fide all-rounder in Washington, stepping into the shoes of the now-retired Ashwin, have allowed the team to give the left-arm wrist spinner a sustained run in the side.

Next on the agenda for India and Kuldeep is a two-Test series in Sri Lanka. For Shubman Gill and Co., it is a chance to regain lost ground in the World Test Championship. For Kuldeep, it is an opportunity to brush aside the frustrations of the last eight months and rediscover the rhythm that makes him one of India’s most potent wicket-taking options.

The Uttar Pradesh spinner has already taken one positive step towards turning around the most difficult period of his career. He has signed up for his maiden County stint, where he will represent Yorkshire in both the One-Day Cup and the County Championship, either side of the Sri Lanka tour. The realisation that he can return to his best only by playing more cricket is a welcome one.

India last toured the neighbouring island nation for a Test series in 2017, thumping the host 3-0. Kuldeep, just one Test into his career when he made the short trip across, played only one match, claiming a four-wicket haul in the first innings as India won by an innings and 171 runs.

With Washington sidelined through injury, all signs indicate Kuldeep will be included in the playing XI for the first Test in Galle. But the lingering concern over an extended tail in difficult batting conditions, coupled with Manav Suthar’s stunning performance on debut, could still relegate the wrist spinner to the bench. For a player already short on confidence and match time, that could be an irrecoverable sucker punch.

Published on Jul 30, 2026