Many eyebrows were raised when Kuldeep Yadav wasn’t named in India’s playing XI for the first Test against England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.  Instead, the team management included left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem who wasn’t even the part of India’s initial squad and only came as a replacement for injured Axar Patel. The decision didn’t prove to be a précised one as Nadeem couldn’t make much impact and even bowled as many as 10 balls. After India lost the game emphatically by 227 runs, many fans and experts slammed Indian skipper Virat Kohli and the team management for constantly sidelining the left-arm wrist spinner. Team India Suffers First Test Defeat at Home After Four Years as Three Lions Win by 227 Runs.

Kuldeep’s childhood coach Kapil Pandey was also among the many miffed by the team selection. He lambasted the management for not recognizing the spinner’s potential despite keeping him in the squad. “Kuldeep Yadav is continuously travelling with them, suffering, yet they are not giving him a chance. There goes a proverb as ‘Ghar ki murgi daal barabar’ so you are not trying to understanding him, you are not looking at his numbers, you are treating him like a normal cricketer,” Pandey said in a conversation with SportsKeeda. Virat Kohli Takes Sly Dig at ICC After as England Topple India in World Test Championship Rankings After Winning Chennai Test.

Pandey further complained that other players keep getting chances despite regular failures while Kuldeep needs mere one average performance to be sidelined. “If he slightly underperforms even in one match, they sideline him. On the other hand, rest of the players are given so many chances. You are including the player who is not in the team, who hasn’t got preparation. Where is the greatness of the captain and coach? The player who has been regularly practising with the team is not getting a chance,” he added.

Taking a dig at skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri, Pandey opined: “In this series, the coach and captain played Washington Sundar because they felt he would partner Ravichandran Ashwin better. Only they know the reason behind this selection. Virat Kohli can dissect this logic, head coach Ravi Shastri also can explain it.”

Kuldeep has scalped 24 wickets in six Test matches with the help of two five-wicket hauls. However, he hasn’t donned the white jersey for India since the Sydney Test against Australia in January 2019. Nonetheless, many experts reckon Kuldeep’s return to the XI is confirmed for the second Test. The next match gets underway on February 13 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 10, 2021 04:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).