On the eve of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that either Manav Suthar or Harsh Dubey would be the fourth spinner for the two-match series against Sri Lanka in August. Suthar, who was chosen over Dubey, took seven wickets, including a six-wicket haul in the first innings, and scored a valuable 28 runs. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak praised the debutant after India's innings and 300-run victory.
Suthar's emergence raises questions
With Ravindra Jadeja rested for this Test and set to return for the Sri Lanka series, Washington Sundar cementing his spot as an all-rounder, and Suthar's rise, the biggest question is where that leaves Kuldeep Yadav. The team management appears to have little faith in Kuldeep's batting. The wrist-spinner did not play a single Test in England, where pitches were arguably more suited to his bowling.
Preference for multi-dimensional players
Under coach Gautam Gambhir, players with multi-dimensional skills are preferred. Examples include Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Harshit Rana, who provide extra batting depth. Kuldeep might not be a walking wicket in Tests, but more than his batting, his bowling has looked concerning at home. Since missing out in England, he has played five Tests and taken 23 wickets, but often failed to make a decisive impact.
Recent performances underwhelming
In Guwahati against South Africa, where Simon Harmer took nine wickets, Kuldeep took four wickets in the first innings while conceding nearly four runs per over and went wicketless in the second innings, bowling 12 overs. Even against Afghanistan, he lacked penetration. In the first innings, he went wicketless in 10 overs. He did get wickets in the second innings, but two of his three scalps were tailenders.
Declining across formats
Kuldeep has already been dropped from India's T20I squads for the upcoming series against Ireland and England. He played only one match in the 2026 T20 World Cup, with Varun Chakravarthy preferred, and Ravi Bishnoi has moved ahead in the pecking order. He also had an underwhelming IPL campaign, managing only 10 wickets in 12 games while conceding more than 10 runs per over.
Career at a crossroads
Overall, Kuldeep's Test career has been curious. He has played 18 Tests, six each under Ravi Shastri, Rahul Dravid, and now Gautam Gambhir. During the 2019 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, following his five-wicket haul at the SCG, Shastri declared him India's frontline No. 1 overseas spinner. But he slipped down the pecking order as Jadeja was preferred for his batting. At home, he never enjoyed an extended run with R Ashwin and Jadeja dominating, and Axar Patel emerged as an option. Now, once again, Kuldeep finds himself at a crossroads.
