Kuldeep Yadav is in the form of his life. He picked up 8 wickets in the first Test against Bangladesh on his comeback with the red ball after almost two years. Also, he performed exceptionally well in the two ODIs against Sri Lanka, forcing the team management to play him in every white-ball fixture against New Zealand so far despite Yuzvendra Chahal’s presence in the squad.
However, it would be very difficult for Kuldeep to break into the XI in the Test Series against Australia especially after Ravindra Jadeja proved his fitness in a Ranji Trophy match unless India decide to field three spinners.
Former chairman of selectors Sunil Joshi said Kuldeep should find a place in the XI because of the kind of form he is in.
“I think so. One, because of his form – he’s been good at picking wickets. As a former cricketer, I look more closely at the way he is taking wickets: a spinner getting [the batter] out through the gate bowled, caught at slip, stumped getting to the pitch of the ball, miscuing the ball and getting caught at mid-off, mid-on. These are the areas of dismissal that a spinner would love to take,” Joshi told ESPNCricinfo.
“If Ashwin is our first option, and if Jadeja is not available, then it should be Kuldeep and Axar. If Jaddu is available and they are playing three spinners, Kuldeep should play. Don’t look at the venues or whether our spinners will do well or not at them. Look at the way Kuldeep has picked up wickets. In whatever series he has played recently, whether it is red- or white-ball, his dismissals are in the range of [being caught] within the 30-yard circle. That is a great thing for a bowler because it shows you have been very consistent with your line and length. If India have to win against Australia, Kuldeep will play a major part,” he added.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins on February 9 in Nagpur.