"He should definitely be there" - Anil Kumble on whether Kuldeep Yadav should be a part of India's Test squad

Anil Kumble feels Kuldeep Yadav should be a part of India's Test squad and given an opportunity to play whenever possible.

The left-arm wrist-spinner is not part of India's Test squad for the ongoing series against the West Indies and has only been picked for the white-ball leg of the tour. Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, all three finger-spinners, are part of the squad for the longest format.

During a discussion on JioCinema, Kumble was asked whether Kuldeep should be a part of India's Test squad, to which he responded:

"He should definitely be there because he is a very good bowler. Leg-spinners are very attacking bowlers and it is also difficult at times, they concede runs as well but you need to take a leg-spinner along with you and groom him, and whenever you get a chance, he should be given an opportunity."

While highlighting that the Uttar Pradesh wrist-spinner has done well whenever given a chance, the former Indian leg-spinner lamented the lack of bowlers of his ilk in Test cricket, saying:

"Kuldeep Yadav is a very good spinner for Test matches. He has given very good performances whenever he has got a chance as well. There are a lot of wrist-spinners in white-ball formats. We are not getting to see them much in Test matches."

Kuldeep has picked up 34 wickets at an excellent average of 21.55 in eight Tests. He registered figures of 5/40 and 3/73 in Bangladesh's two innings in the last Test he played in December 2022 but has not been given a chance thereafter.

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"Ashwin and Jadeja are doing a very good job for the Indian team currently" - Anil Kumble on the reason behind the lack of wrist-spinners in Test cricket

Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are India's first-choice spinners in Test cricket. [P/C: BCCI]

Aakash Chopra further asked Anil Kumble why he feels wrist-spinners are not being seen in Test cricket and whether it is because they have started bowling fast and resorting to more googlies in white-ball cricket, to which he replied:

"Don't know about that but Ashwin and Jadeja are doing a very good job for the Indian team currently. Both are high-quality spin bowlers. The third spinner is also Axar Patel, he has done extremely well whenever he has got an opportunity."

Kumble concluded by reiterating that Kuldeep Yadav should be a part of the mix in Test cricket, highlighting his impressive record in the format:

"As I said, Kuldeep Yadav should also be kept alongside them and played whenever you get a chance. He has picked up 34 wickets in eight matches and his average is also very good. He has picked up three five-wicket hauls in just eight matches. That's an amazing record."

The Indian selectors and team management have tended to prefer Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel ahead of Kuldeep in spin-friendly conditions. The trio's ability to contribute crucial runs with the bat has also tilted the scales in their favor.