Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India to ask the team management regarding Kuldeep Yadav’s exclusion in review meeting after the white ball series against England.
Kuldeep was part of the ODI team against England but didn’t even get a single game against the hosts. The wrist was not included in the third ODI despite the absence of gun fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Since July 2024, Kuldeep has featured in 38 games out of 103 matches across all formats for India.
Kuldeep has scalped 194 ODI wickets in 121 matches at an average of 27.05 and thus has an impressive record in the 50-over format.
“In the review meeting that will happen, the BCCI must raise the question behind the selection of this playing XI and ask the reason. They must ask why Kuldeep did not play when Bumrah, Sundar, Varun, all these guys were not there. England won due to Buttler’s 40 at the end, and Kuldeep has gotten the better of him before. Kuldeep has bowled well in England too. They must ask the reason. You give the reason of batting depth. Fine. But in that game, your all-rounder at number eight was injured and out. Even then, Kuldeep did not play. It was completely beyond my understanding. You played all inexperienced bowlers,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.
The former UP batter said the veteran duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is not a problem for the Indian team but the bowling line-up is. Barring Jasprit Bumrah, Indian bowlers have been inconsistent and Kaif also questioned Mohammed Siraj’s absence.
“The biggest issue is in the bowling. Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli is not a concern. The biggest concern is the bowling in South Africa. Pitches are very different there. Batters will get out at times, and we will only score 250. But do we have the bowling to defend that? This is the biggest question. To win the World Cup, you need a balanced team. Not batting heavy and weak bowling. You will have to defend 250, and right now you don’t have the team for that. You are moving on, but there is no backup for Bumrah, no backup for Hardik. You don’t have quality bowlers like Shami and Bhuvneshwar. I don’t know why Siraj is also out when all the new guys are being backed,” Mohammad Kaif remarked.
India will take on Sri Lanka in a two-match Test series, starting August 15.
