Image: Kuldeep Yadav is now being consistently selected for India / © Cricket Addictor
One of the best spinners of India, Kuldeep Yadav, has not played the Test format consistently in a long time. Before the Test series vs the West Indies, Kuldeep had only participated in 13 Test matches since his debut in 2017. His bowling coach, Morne Morkel, has even played more Tests than him since he made his debut.
Having Kuldeep now given a chance, he can show himself through the matches, in getting the wickets when the team needs them the most. He dominated the West Indies batting line-up in the second Test match against West Indies, getting a five-wicket haul.
Not just the fans, even the commentators and former Indian players are praising his contributions to the team. Anil Kumble, former Head Coach of the Indian team, raised questions about his exclusion from the squad lately. But it seems that Kumble’s statements and Kuldeep Yadav getting consistent opportunities have started a meme fest on X.
For Kuldeep Yadav, one thing has been consistent, and it is him being dropped after performing well in one series. In the India vs England home series in 2024, he played four games. But his next Test appearance came towards the end of the year against New Zealand.
After this, he missed the Tests against Australia and England, and now got the chance to play against the West Indies. The opportunities he received have been inconsistent. To this, a Twitter user used the 3 Idiots meme image, where Kuldeep Yadav prays to get just one more series as a chance.
Since Kuldeep Yadav made his debut for the Indian team, he has never failed to deliver. Whether it is against Australia or England, Kuldeep taking wickets by trapping the batsmen with his unplayable deliveries is common. Over the years, various cricket analysts have said that Yadav should receive more opportunities for the Indian team.
Despite them saying it, he has not received the same over the past few years. To this, a Twitter user reacted by saying that everyone says Kuldeep should receive more opportunities, yet he is dropped. This might be the perfect way to troll Anil Kumble, as Kuldeep Yadav made his debut when he was the Head Coach.
Anil Kumble made a remarkable statement on Kuldeep Yadav after he finished with a five-wicket haul in the first innings. But his statements are just not enough to ensure that Kuldeep Yadav is able to play consistently for the Indian team. It all lies in the hands of the BCCI Selectors and Gautam Gambhir.
However, a Twitter user must have realised that the statements made by Kumble might not be very helpful to Kuldeep Yadav. To this, he responded by saying that he will be having a talk with Gambhir to ensure Kuldeep receives more chances in the longer format of the game.
Every bowler wants to take a five-wicket haul in a Test match as it helps to enhance their chances of being selected. But a fan has noticed an unusual pattern between Kuldeep Yadav and a five-wicket haul. He noticed that whenever Kuldeep takes a fifer, he is dropped from the team for the next few games.
In the 2019 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he took a five-wicket haul and went on to play his next Test two years later against England. Against Bangladesh in 2022, he took another fifer, and played his next Test against England in 2024. This time against the West Indies, he has taken a five-wicket haul in the second Test.
Kuldeep Yadav has received consistent opportunities in the ODI and T20I formats but not in the Test format. After watching his performances in the Test match against the West Indies, it is clear that he will be able to give his best even if he gets inconsistent opportunities.
Anil Kumble was not the only former player who talked about Kuldeep Yadav getting inconsistent opportunities. There have been many more who have said about it, but the management has not considered the same for the last few years. A Twitter user reacted to the same by saying that despite such performances, the management won’t give him opportunities.
After listening to the statements made by Anil Kumble, every fan would want it to go to the BCCI selectors. They are mainly involved in choosing the squad for the Test series, while the playing XI is decided by the Head Coach, Gautam Gambhir, along with the captain.
But a Twitter user decided to take the matter to the next level. He said that Rajeev Shukla, the Vice President of BCCI, to take a look at Kuldeep Yadav and his consistent selection to the Indian team. Maybe he is willing to have Rajeev Shukla join the Selectors committee and make decisions regarding the same.
If you have been watching cricket for some time, you would remember the iconic KulCha spin duo of the Indian team. This included two players, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Although Kuldeep Yadav has now started to receive consistent opportunities, Yuzvendra Chahal has been sidelined for a long time.
To this, a Twitter user decided to raise a question to the BCCI selectors and even Anil Kumble, by asking where Yuzvendra Chahal is. Despite being India’s only spinner with the highest wickets in the T20I format, it has been a long time since fans watched him in the Blue Jersey.
Kuldeep Yadav has managed to perform well for the Indian team in every opportunity he receives in the Test format. Some fans also call him the player who has received the least criticism from the former players. Anil Kumble also talked about his inclusion in the team at frequent intervals.
But a Twitter user decided to mix truth with memes, as he trolled the former Indian players and fans at the same time. He said that if Kuldeep Yadav is not able to perform well for two games, these players and fans would be the first to talk about why he should be dropped from the team. And this has been the case within the Indian team over the past few years.
Ever since Gautam Gambhir has been the Head Coach of the Indian team, the mindset has been different. He prefers to have players in the team who can also bat down the order, making India’s lower order more like that of Australia.
Maybe this could be the reason Kuldeep Yadav has been dropped from the team after receiving a few chances. A Twitter user talked about it by saying that Gambhir wants more batsmen in the team, giving a reply to the statements that have been made by Anil Kumble with Kuldeep’s selection.
Anil Kumble raised some serious questions on the selection of Kuldeep Yadav. And at this point, fans have been mainly in favour of Kuldeep Yadav. But there is another set of fans who have decided to bring their own questions. These questions are not related to Kuldeep, but to the other players on the team.
A Twitter user decided to speak some truth, as he talked about Jasprit Bumrah. He talked about how the workload issues with Bumrah prevented him from playing all the Tests against England. And now, he has played both Tests against the West Indies. Further, he will be missing the crucial ODI series against Australia, too.
For those who don’t know, Kuldeep Yadav made his debut under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. Anil Kumble was the Head Coach of the Indian team at that time, and he handed Kuldeep Yadav his maiden Test cap. But ever since his debut, he has not received consistent opportunities for the team.
And with Anil Kumble making statements on his selection, a Twitter user decided to ask whether Kumble is targeting Virat Kohli or not. From 2017 to the start of 2022, Virat Kohli captained the Indian team in the Test format, where Kuldeep Yadav didn’t get regular opportunities. Now, fans are thinking that Kumble is trying to set up a narrative against Virat Kohli.
Every fan is now thinking about the possible reasons why Kuldeep Yadav has not been picked in the playing XI consistently. But a Twitter user decided to give the perfect reply to the same. He hilariously said that Kuldeep Yadav would need PR, not games, to be selected in the Indian team.
Further, it was mentioned that this is the Indian team, where even the selection is based on the PR team. This must have been a direct jibe towards Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, and many more, for whom even the fans and cricket pages posted a lot to ensure that they are being selected in the team.