Kuldeep Yadav Archives

India release Kuldeep Yadav from squad ahead of remaining Australia T20Is

India’s left-arm wrist spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, has been released from the T20I squad for the remaining two matches against Australia by the team management.

The decision was made as the team management shifted focus to red-ball preparations ahead of the upcoming Test series against South Africa.

Kuldeep will now join the India A squad for the second unofficial Test against South Africa A, scheduled to begin on November 6 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

The move is part of India’s build-up for their two-Test series against the reigning World Test Championship holders, South Africa.

The first Test will be played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata from November 14, followed by the second in Guwahati starting November 22.

Kuldeep Yadav, who did not feature in India’s series-levelling T20I win in Hobart, last played a Test in October 2024 against New Zealand.

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His opportunities in the longest format have been limited, though he impressed earlier this year with 12 wickets, including a five-for, during the two-Test series against the West Indies.

The spinner’s inclusion in the India A setup underlines the selectors’ intent to fine-tune red-ball specialists ahead of the marquee South Africa series.

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant, continuing his comeback from a foot injury sustained in England, will once again lead India A. Pant struck a composed 90 in the second innings of the first four-day match, which India won by three wickets.

Other senior names in the India A squad include KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel, and Devdutt Padikkal, with Sai Sudharsan serving as vice-captain.

India A Squad for 2nd Four-Day Match: Rishabh Pant (c & wk), KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sai Sudharsan (vc), Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurnoor Brar, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Kuldeep Yadav.

India Squad for 4th & 5th T20Is vs Australia: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana.

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Kuldeep Yadav opens up after India’s Asia Cup 2025 triumph

DUBAI: Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav shared his thoughts after India ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 triumph over Pakistan here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

India chased down the partly 147-run target on the fourth ball of the last over, losing five wickets in the process.

The architects of India’s win were Tilak Varma and Kuldeep Yadav. Varma showed his batting prowess under pressure, scoring a 69 from 53 balls, hitting four sixes and three fours.

Kuldeep Yadav, on the other hand, took four wickets, including three in an over, which derailed Pakistan’s batting lineup. As a result, Pakistan were bowled out for 146 in 19.1 overs.

Speaking in the post-match presentation, Kuldeep Yadav highlighted Pakistan’s collapse despite a strong start.

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“It is very important to bowl in the middle overs. We (the spinners), playing together, it is a luxury to have. Everyone has a different role. They started really well. After 10-11 overs, they were 100-1,” he said.

‘We knew if we could get a couple of wickets, then it was not going to be easy for the new batter to come in and score runs,” he added.

He also praised Tilak Varma for his knock, while revealing that he had spoken with the bowler Hari Prasad Mohan about bowling lengths.

“When I was bowling the first over, I was trying to get them out. Before the game, he just send the screenshot of the lengths where we had to bowl to the batters, and big thanks to Hari. And a masterclass from Tilak – he was unbelievable today,” he said.

READ: Tilak, Kuldeep star as India defeat Pakistan to clinch Asia Cup 2025

Tilak, Kuldeep star as India defeat Pakistan to clinch Asia Cup 2025

DUBAI: Tilak Verma’s crafty knock and Kuldeep Yadav’s magic with the ball helped India seal victory against Pakistan in a last-over thriller in the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 final here on Sunday.

Set 147, India chased down the target on the fourth ball of the last over, losing five wickets in the process.

Pakistan pacers ripped through India’s top order as Faheem Ashraf and Shaheen Afridi combined to rattle the defending champions.

Dangerous Abhishek Sharma was the first to go holing out to mid on, whereas Skipper Suryakumar Yadav, in poor form, perished courtesy of an excellent catch from Salman Ali Agha.

The Men in Blue were pegged back with Shubman Gill’s wicket, who was caught on mid-on after scoring 12. As a result, India were reduced to 20-3.

However, Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma arrested the slide and batted with calm and composure. The pair added 58 runs for the third wicket, which put India back on course in the chase.

Varma particularly nudged the balls for a single and eased pressure. Samson, on the other hand, was looking good. He got a reprieve in the ninth over as Hussain Talat dropped a sitter.

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Yet, he departed after making 24 from 21 balls with the help of two fours and a six. At this stage, India were 77-4 in 12.4 overs.

The game was evenly poised at this stage, with India requiring 69 from 42 balls. However, Tilak Varma’s presence at the crease and some sloppy fielding and tactical errors from Pakistan put India on top.

Haris Rauf’s 17 yielded 17 runs from the 15th over, which tilted the game in India’s favor.

Eventually, India aced the chase with Rinku Singh— playing his first game of the tournament, hitting the ball over mid wicket for four to seal an emphatic win for his side.

For Pakistan, Faheem Ashraf picked up three wickets.

Earlier, Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman provided a strong start, but the innings unraveled once again as a familiar middle-order collapse led to Pakistan’s innings being folded for a modest total.

Put into bat first, Pakistan could not capitalize on a strong start as their innings folded on a mere 146-run total in 19.1 overs.

Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman started strong with an 84-run stand. The duo batted cautiously and ended the powerplay on a strong note with Pakistan 45-0.

Sahizbada remained the core aggressor and reached his half-century off 35 balls while Fakhar played the second fiddle.

The partnership eventually culminated with Farhan’s wicket, who made 57 from 38 balls, striking three sixes and five fours.

Yet, Pakistan were in a strong position to score a strong total with Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman adding 29 runs to the total. However, the former wicket on the fifth ball sparked a collapse that the Green Shirts could not recover from.

Saim perished to Kuldeep, managing 14 from 10, whereas Axar Patel ended Mohammad Haris ‘ two-ball stay at the crease. The wicket-keeper could not open his account.

In the next over, Fakhar tried to charge after hitting Varun Chakravarthy for a six and ended up losing his wicket. The soutpaw scored 46 from 35 with the aid of two sixes and two fours.

As a result, Pakistan slumped to 126-4. The situation was still manageable for Pakistan to post a good score with skipper Salman Ali Agha ( 8) and Hussain Talat (1) at the crease. However, Kuldeep Yadav picked three wickets in an over, which bundled them out for a modest total.

For India, Kuldeep Yadav picked up a four-wicket haul, whereas Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy picked up two wickets each.

READ: Asia Cup Final: Former England cricketer warns India of ‘unpredictable’ Pakistan

Asia Cup 2025: Rampant India crush UAE in 4.3 overs after 57 all out

DUBAI: India cruised to a nine-wicket victory over UAE in an emphatic fashion in the second match of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

India chased down a mere 58-run target in just 4.3 overs, losing only one wicket in the process. Notably, the victory margin of 94 balls remaining was the largest for the Men in Blue in T20Is.

Abhishek Sharma started the innings with a six and continued on his merry way as India raced towards the target.

Sharma eventually departed after making 30 off 16 balls, striking three sixes and two fours.

On the contrary, Shubman Gill scored 20* off nine and Suryakumar Yadav remained unbeaten on seven from two balls.

Kuldeep Yadav, who took 4 wickets for just seven runs in his 2.1 overs, was named as the player of the match.

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Earlier, left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav bamboozled UAE with a four-wicket haul.

India capitalized on the decision to bowl first as they bundled out UAE for 57 in only 13.1 overs.

UAE openers started positively, particularly Alishan Sharafu, who top-scored with 22 off 17 balls with the aid of three fours and a six. However, once he was removed, India took complete control of the match with spinners bowling from both ends.

India’s bowlers did not allow the UAE batters to free their arms and kept striking at regular intervals.

For India, Kuldeep Yadav was the standout bowler, taking a four-wicket haul, including three wickets in an over. Shivam Dube provided him ample support with three wickets in his two overs.

Playing XIs

India XI: Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

UAE XI: Muhammad Zohaib, Muhammad Waseem (capt), Asif Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra (wk), Dhruv Parashar, Harshit Kaushik, Haider Ali, Muhammad Rohid, Junaid Siddique, Simranjeet Singh

READ: Saim Ayub becomes Pakistan’s highest-ranked T20I all-rounder in ICC rankings

Former Australia captain urges India to include THIS key player in second England Test

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has urged India to make a key change to their playing XI in the second Test against England, starting from 2 July at Edgbaston.

Speaking on his YouTube channel ahead of the second Test, Clarke advocated for the inclusion of left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav into the India playing XI.

“Bowling-wise, I do not want to be hard on any individual, but I think they’ve got to play Kuldeep Yadav. I think it is an absolute no-brainer. I think he’s a wicket-taker and would have offered a lot more than what he saw the attack did in this Test match,” he said.

Michael Clarke emphasised the importance of wicket-taking ability, noting that Indian bowlers should find more ways of taking wickets.

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Bumrah’s a star, he’s leading that attack. But the other three fast bowlers, yes at stages bowled well, but they need to find more ways of taking wickets, more options, and their execution has probably got to be better,” he said

The 44-year-old shed light on Ravindra Jadeja’s form while mentioning his second innings performance against England in the opening Test.

“Jadeja didn’t have the impact that I thought he might have. Particularly in the second innings I thought there was lot of rough to the left-hander.

I thought he bowled a little bit straight. He could have been a bit wider into the rough, and even to the right-hander, utilise over the wicket into the rough looking for that LBW in front of the stumps,” Michael Clarke concluded.

For the unversed, England defeated India by five wickets at Leeds, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series.

Ben Duckett starred for the home team with a 149-run knock, while India became the first team to suffer defeat despite five players scoring hundreds.

READ: Jofra Archer named in England squad for second Test against India

Kuldeep Yadav “excited” to visit Pakistan for Champions Trophy 2025

India’s wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav opened up regarding the possibility of touring Pakistan for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

The eight-team tournament, scheduled in the February-March window, will be hosted by Pakistan. However, India’s participation in the tournament is still uncertain due to the political tensions between the neighbouring countries.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) representatives, on numerous occasions, said the Federal government will decide to send their national men’s team to Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav, during an event in Australia, was asked about his views on touring Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. The 29-year-old, in response shared he would love to play in Pakistan if given permission.

“As cricketers, we will play wherever we are sent. I have never been to Pakistan before, so I am excited. The Pakistani people are great, and whenever we get the chance, we will definitely go and play there,” Yadav said at an event in Australia,” said Yadav.

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Remember, reports emerged in Indian media, citing a source from the BCCI, that the Indian team will not be visiting Pakistan for the upcoming ICC event.

Further reports claimed that the board has formally proposed Dubai and Sri Lanka as potential venues for hosting India’s matches.

Previously, India refused to travel to Pakistan to participate in the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023. As a result, the continental event was held in a hybrid model with Sri Lanka stepping in as a co-host.

It is worth noting that India has not travelled to Pakistan since the Asia Cup in 2008 due to the long-standing political tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

READ: Ramiz Raja makes major assertion regarding Pakistan pacers’ “downfall”

Yadav, openers give India opening day honours against England

Kuldeep Yadav took five wickets to bundle out England for 218, with India’s batters starting strongly on a dominant opening day for the hosts in the fifth Test on Thursday.

Yadav returned figures of 5-72 and, along with fellow spinner Ravichandran Ashwin who took four wickets in his landmark 100th Test, bowled out the tourists in just 57.4 overs at the picturesque Dharamsala stadium.

India reached 135-1 at stumps, still trailing England by 83 runs.

Skipper Rohit Sharma, on 52, and Shubman Gill, on 26, were batting at the close of play after in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal fell for 57.

The left-handed Jaiswal looked assured until his departure as he smashed spinner Shoaib Bashir for three sixes in an over, and consolidated his position at the top of the series batting with 712 runs.

Bashir, a rookie off-spinner, got Jaiswal stumped to end a 104-run opening stand.

Jaiswal, 22, went past 1,000 runs in just his 16th Test innings since his debut last year, becoming the second-quickest Indian to the mark after former batsman Vinod Kambli (14 innings).

Veteran seamer James Anderson, 41, is just two wickets shy of becoming the third bowler to take 700 Test wickets, after Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and the late Australian great Shane Warne (708).

England elected to bat first in their bid for a consolation win and Zak Crawley started strongly with his 79 before the batting collapsed from 175-3.

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Top batsmen Jonny Bairstow (29), in his 100th Test, Joe Root (26) and skipper Ben Stokes — out for a duck — went back on the same team score of 175.

England lost five wickets for eight runs in seven overs.

Crawley, who raised his fourth half-century of the series in the first session, survived a few reprieves before being bowled by Yadav off a delivery that turned in sharply to hit the stumps.

Bairstow, who received his 100th cap from Root with his family by his side in the morning, joined the former captain at the crease and looked solid as he smashed Yadav for two sixes.

He went past 6,000 Test runs before Yadav got him caught behind off a googly that took the edge into the wicketkeeper’s gloves. He made 29.

Ravindra Jadeja struck four balls later to trap Root lbw for 26.

Stokes was also given out lbw off Yadav for nought.

In the first session, the openers had taken time to settle in, but Crawley soon found his groove, hitting 11 fours and a six. He put on 64 runs with Ben Duckett, who made 27.

Yadav struck in his first over as Duckett’s slog got a leading edge, with Gill running backwards to take a diving catch.

India lost the opening Test against England but hit back to take an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

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