Kuldeep Yadav: India's most overlooked match-winner keeps delivering when given the ball
Benched for a whole England Test tour and sidelined for most of the T20 World Cup, Kuldeep still averages under 14 in T20Is and took 4 for 40 in the 1st ODI. The numbers behind the case to play him more.
Kuldeep Yadav's 4 for 40 against West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday was a reminder of what India have in their left-arm wrist-spinner. On a flat pitch where the rest of the attack went at 5.4 an over or more, he broke a 135-run opening stand and turned 295 into a chaseable target. The frustrating part is how rarely India have picked him over the past year.
Kuldeep Yadav's recent game time
Kuldeep has spent a lot of the last 12 months carrying drinks:
- England Test tour 2025: in the squad for all five Tests, played none. India preferred the extra batting of Washington Sundar.
- T20 World Cup 2026: India won the title, but his last T20I of the tournament came against Pakistan in the group stage in February. He didn't play again in the competition.
- A seven-month T20I gap followed, until his recall for the West Indies T20Is announced on 16 September.
- Sri Lanka Test series, August 2026: one wicket in 25 overs in the Galle win, then out of the Colombo Test. The BCCI said he hadn't recovered from a viral illness, and debutant Saransh Jain played instead.
- Tests: only 19 caps since his debut in 2017.
Kuldeep has been honest about how that feels. "Definitely, you feel bad for yourself when you're not playing," he said this month, while accepting that selection often comes down to team combination.
Kuldeep Yadav stats: what he does when he plays
The numbers make a strong case for picking him more often. Going into 2026, his international record read:
- ODIs: 194 wickets in 120 matches at an average of 26.82, best of 6 for 25
- T20Is: 95 wickets in 54 matches at an average of 13.74, best of 5 for 17
- Tests: 76 wickets in 17 matches at an average of 22.42, with five five-wicket hauls
A Test average of 22 with a five-for roughly every three matches is elite for a spinner. A T20I average under 14 over 54 matches is exceptional for the format.
Asia Cup 2025: when he got a full run
The best evidence came at the 2025 Asia Cup, when he got a proper run of games. He took 17 wickets in seven matches at an average of 9.29 and an economy of 6.28, finished as the leading wicket-taker, and was named the tournament's MVP.
A record-breaker in ODIs
- The first Indian bowler to take two ODI hat-tricks
- The fastest Indian spinner to 100 ODI wickets, in just 58 innings
- The fastest Indian spinner to 150 ODI wickets by matches played
- Best ODI figures of 6 for 25 against England in 2018
Staying sharp away from the XI
Kuldeep hasn't let the lack of India games blunt him. He signed with Yorkshire for the 2026 English season and took his first ten-wicket haul in first-class cricket against Essex, including 6 for 50 in the second innings of an innings win.
Why does India keep leaving him out?
It mostly comes down to balance. India like all-rounders who bat in the lower order, such as Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, and in T20Is Varun Chakaravarthy has been preferred as the mystery spinner. Kuldeep adds little with the bat, so when the team management wants batting depth, he tends to be the one who misses out.
The counter-argument is simple: wickets win matches. Sunday's 4 for 40 stopped West Indies from setting a target well over 300, and he has done the same in every format when given a run of games.
Kuldeep Yadav: what's next
Kuldeep is in the squad for the rest of the ODI series and the T20Is against West Indies. A run of games now, with the 2027 World Cup on the horizon, would show whether India see him as a first-choice wicket-taker or a squad option. On the evidence of his numbers, he belongs in the XI.
Check tryball.in for the 2nd ODI in Guwahati on Wednesday, 30 September, including the TV channel, live-streaming app and DTH channel numbers.