Is Virat Kohli the Reason Kuldeep Yadav Has Featured in Only 14 Tests So Far?

Virat Kohli is being hailed as India's greatest Test captain of all time. But, there have also been some wrong decisions made by the King, which also include dropping Kuldeep from the Test squad. Kuldeep Yadav currently plays his 14th Test, 8 years since his debut.

Imagine being an integral part of the team in the ODI and T20I format, but still being excluded from the Test line-up. This situation is currently happening with Kuldeep Yadav in the Indian cricket team. as the series against West Indies begins. This is his 14th, even after making his debut 8 years ago.

It will be shocking for the fans to know that Kuldeep Yadav made his debut in 2017. This means 8 years since his debut, he has played just 14 Tests. He is averaging less than 2 Tests a year. Morne Morkel, India's bowling coach, has played more Tests than Kuldeep since his debut. With Morkel retiring in 2018, he is now India's bowling coach, with Kuldeep playing his 14th Test.

1. Why Was Kuldeep Dropped?

Despite making his debut in 2017, Kuldeep Yadav didn't make it under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. Since Kohli was unavailable for the Test, Kuldeep made his debut under Ajinkya Rahane. In his very first Test match, he started off by taking 4 wickets against Australia, including the wickets of David Warner and Glenn Maxwell.

Kuldeep Yadav under Virat Kohli:

• Innings: 10
• Overs: 149.1
• Maidens: 21
• Wickets: 22
• Average: 24.04
• Economy: 3.54

Within the first two years of his debut, Kuldeep Yadav played just 5 Test matches. It was being noticed by the fans that Kuldeep is not being consistently picked by the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli.

In 2019, 2021, and 2022, Kuldeep Yadav played just one Test match each year for the team. And it even looked a bit forced by the BCCI to drop Kuldeep Yadav after he had played a game. It should also be noted that Kuldeep didn't play a single Test match in 2021 and 2023, where Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma led the Indian side.

With the majority of Kuldeep’s Test years coming under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, this shows how Virat missed Kuldeep's capabilities. To this, several fans might also argue that Kohli used to focus more on the pace bowlers, having a studded line-up with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and more.

2. Did Jadeja, Ashwin Block Kuldeep?

It is also being argued that Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were the reason why Kuldeep didn't get consistent opportunities. In the away series, the Indian captain, Virat Kohli, used to focus more on the pace attack. But when the matches were being played at home, Ashwin and Jadeja played a major role.

Ravindra Jadeja in Tests:

• Innings: 160
• Overs: 3224.0
• Maidens: 742
• Wickets: 330
• Average: 25.21
• Economy: 2.58

With just two spinners, the Indian team might have never felt the need for a third spinner in the line-up. Ashwin and Jadeja were able to dominate over the opposition batsmen and quickly take wickets for the team. Eventually, the team would rotate them to bring wickets and even continue with the pace attack.

In this phase, the Indian pacers played a vital role for the team to complete the 20-wicket quota of the game. This may also be the reason why Kuldeep Yadav was not given consistent chances to play for the Indian team under the captaincy of Virat Kohli.

Ravichandran Ashwin in Tests:

• Innings: 200
• Overs: 4541.0
• Maidens: 907
• Wickets: 537
• Average: 24.00
• Economy: 2.83

Since Ashwin retired from the Test format in 2024, this is India's first Test series at home. And Kuldeep being picked as a primary spinner shows that he has filled the gap which was created by Ravichandran Ashwin upon his retirement.