"It is not right to keep one of your match-winners on the bench" - Kuldeep Yadav's coach on spinner not playing 2nd Test vs Bangladesh
Kuldeep Yadav made a stunning comeback to Test cricket in the first match against Bangladesh, picking up eight wickets and helping India win the match by 188 runs. He also received the Player of the Match award for his sensational bowling as well as his handy 40 with the bat.
However, quite a few eyebrows were raised when the wrist spinner was left out of the second Test in Dhaka. There was a good grass covering on the wicket, making India feel that three pacers were needed. However, to accommodate the extra pacer, they decided to drop Kuldeep.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Kuldeep Yadav's coach Kapil Pandey opened up on how he felt when his ward was left out despite dishing out a fantastic performance in Chattogram.
"We all want Team India to win and that’s the ultimate goal," he said. "I completely understand that the captain and coach try and make a combination to help the team win. But then it is not right to keep one of your match-winners on the bench. How long will this continue?
"No Indian would want the Indian team to lose. But at the same time, a player who has done well in the little chances that he received deserves a longer rope."
Kuldeep Yadav takes eight wickets and is dropped for the next game. 🤷🏽 #BANvsIND
Kuldeep Yadav would have picked 200 Test wickets by now with regular chances: Kapil Pandey
It is perhaps hard to believe that Kuldeep Yadav has played just eight Tests for India, despite making his debut five years ago. In just these many Tests, the 27-year-old has a staggering 34 wickets to his name.
Apart from the one in Chattogram, Kuldeep also picked up five-wicket hauls on his debut in Dharamshala and in Sydney during the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Kapil Pandey feels that the spinner deserved a consistent run of games. He believes Kuldeep Yadav's stats would have been much more incredible had he played more games for India to date. On this, Pandey stated:
"I am no one to comment on the plans of the team management because they have the final say, but definitely Kuldeep would have picked 200 Test wickets by now had he recieved consistent chances. Had he been given a consistent run of games at home against England and New Zealand, he could have picked at least 40 wickets in each series."
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Amazing last couple of weeks with the boys. Super happy and proud of what we have achieved as a team. Looking forward for the next one. 🙌🏻🏆
#TeamIndia 🇮🇳 https://t.co/PYx2PNQZkP
Despite the inconsistent run of games that Kuldeep Yadav has received, Kapil Pandey is hopeful that the new team management under coach Rahul Dravid will get the best out of the wrist-spinner and give him the confidence that he deserves.
On this, Kuldeep's coach said:
"I have told him, “Think that every game that you play for India, is your last game.” This is because he isn’t fortunate enough to get a long rope of chances. Rahul Dravid’s arrival has raised my hopes as he has always provided players with security. I am hoping that Kuldeep will be backed across all formats under Dravid’s management."
This year has been quite a successful one for Kuldeep Yadav across formats, and he will be keen to have a similar impact in 2023 as well.