Kuldeep Yadav to play ENG vs IND 4th Test? Hint from training ground

Defeat at the Lord's Test can result in multiple changes in the playing combination of Team India. Collapsing batting orders in the first and in the third tests of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar trophy caused India to taste defeats.

Under pressure, the boys in blue failed to deliver on multiple occasions, which emerged as one of the drawbacks for them. Ahead of the 4th Test, which is scheduled to take place at Old Trafford, Manchester, several cricket experts and former internationals advised Gautam Gambhir's coached team India to consider reshuffling in the XI. Shouts to include Kuldeep Yadav are getting stronger.

During the latest training session of India, two all-rounders—Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav—were spotted in full swing. After the loss in the first match of the tour, multiple cricket experts suggested team management consider the spinner to increase depth in their bowling department. But, because of the collapsing batting unit, Shubman Gill and Co. did not opt to pull out an extra batting option from the lineup.

Read More: [WATCH] 'Never going to be an Orange Cap winner' – Jos Buttler uses RCB star as example to highlight impact of data in T20 cricket

Kuldeep's record versus England 

They tried Shardul Thakur and then Nitish Kumar Reddy, but with the bat, both of them performed below expectations. After making his Test debut in 2017, Yadav has so far played only 13 matches in the Whites. His last Test match was against New Zealand in October 2024, during a home series in Bengaluru, where he claimed 3 wickets. 

Before that, the left-arm wrist spinner experienced memorable spells against England. In a Test match in Dharamshala against England, Yadav took 7 wickets and conceded only 112 runs. In total, Kuldeep participated in 6 tests against England and bagged a total of 21 scalps. But his experience playing under English conditions is very limited.