Even an injured Jasprit Bumrah didn't lead to Kuldeep Yadav getting a game in the third and final ODI against England at Lord's Cricket Ground on Sunday. The wrist-spinner, who is known to be an X-factor in the middle overs, remained out of favour for the entire duration of the ODI series and failed to get a game as the management comprising head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill went ahead with all-rounders.
In the third ODI, the Indian management let go of all-rounder Shivam Dube, but Kuldeep still warmed the bench as the think tank included pacers, Arshdeep Singh and Prince Yadav. Injuries ruled Bumrah and Washington Sundar, but both Gambhir and Gill saw better merit in having only a frontline spinner in the form of Axar Patel.
Seeing Kuldeep's state, former India batter Mohammad Kaif contemplated the spinner's state of mind, saying the left-arm bowler would be thinking about saying goodbye to international cricket, given the treatment he has been receiving of late.
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“Kuldeep Yadav should be thinking of packing his bags and saying goodbye to international cricket. Today, there was no Bumrah, no Washington, no Varun, but Kuldeep still didn't find a place in the 11. India's bowling attack at Lord's is one dimensional and lacks variety. A left-arm wrist spinner would have come handy. Remember he has 194 wickets in 118 ODIs. It seems these numbers don't matter,” Kaif wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}“Kuldeep Yadav should be thinking of packing his bags and saying goodbye to international cricket. Today, there was no Bumrah, no Washington, no Varun, but Kuldeep still didn't find a place in the 11. India's bowling attack at Lord's is one dimensional and lacks variety. A left-arm wrist spinner would have come handy. Remember he has 194 wickets in 118 ODIs. It seems these numbers don't matter,” Kaif wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}It is worth noting that Kuldeep was dropped from the squad for the previous T20I series against Ireland and England, and he's not even a part of the team for the next T20I assignment against Zimbabwe.
What did Ashwin say?
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also sympathised with Kuldeep, saying his confidence and rhythm will definitely take a hit.
“The only defense for not playing Kuldeep usually is that the batting finishes at number 7, wonder how it feels to have Arshdeep at number 8 today! Adding Bumrah’s absence to that, one can only feel bad for Kuldeep. Trust me, this can affect the rhythm and confidence of a bowler,” wrote Ashwin.
Speaking of Kuldeep, he last played for India in June in an ODI against Afghanistan on home soil. However, he has yet to get a game since then. Recently, he was also traded by his IPL franchise, Delhi Capitals, and he will now represent the Lucknow Super Giants.
Speaking of the third and final ODI between India and England, the latter posted 387/3 in 50 overs after opting to bat first in the series decider. Ben Duckett top-scored with a knock of 141 while Jacob Bethell (91) and Joe Root (74*) hit fifties to take England past the 350-run mark. It is worth mentioning that Root wasn't dismissed even once in the entire series, and he registered half-centuries in all three games.