Rahul Dravid Reacts To Kuldeep Yadav’s Ouster From Indian Team Ahead of England Tour

Team India’s out-of-favor leggie Kuldeep Yadav has not been named among the 20 players selected by the BCCI for India’s tour of England and high-profile ICC World Test Championship.

Many cricket pundits have questioned the Indian team management for excluding Kuldeep Yadav from the England tour. Indian cricket team is scheduled to play a five-match Test series against England. Before that, Virat Kohli & Co. will play the final of the World Test Championship against New Zealand on June 18.

Reacting to Kuldeep Yadav’s ouster, former Indian cricket team skipper Rahul Dravid said Kuldeep could have been one of the players to get picked in the star-studded squad of Virat Kohli-led Indian team for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship and tour of England.

Watch | Chris Gayle Gets Teary-Eyed While Remembering His Mother

“It does seem balanced. It’s a 20-member squad. The only other one who could have merited selection would’ve been Kuldeep Yadav, but he’s fallen away over the last little bit. Also, with the kind of recent performances from Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, they’re clear about the kind of balance they want in the squad,” Dravid said during a webinar conducted by Live Aid India. 

Dravid also highlighted that one of the main reasons behind Kuldeep Yadav getting often neglected is the sudden rise of Washington Sundar and Axar Patel in the Indian Test setup.

“With both Ashwin and Jadeja adding value with the bat and having like-for-like replacements in Axar and Washy, they’re clear about the direction they want to take. It lengthens their batting and all four finger spinners here allow them to do that. The make-up of the squad tells me they know their best XI even before they leave from here” Dravid added.