The headline might seem shocking. In the first match of the 2025 Asia Cup, Kuldeep Yadav troubled the UAE batsmen so much that they returned to the pavilion one by one. The star spinner of Team India put UAE in trouble by taking 3 wickets in one over. In this match, Kuldeep took 4 wickets and was also chosen for the Player of the Match award after India’s easy win. But will Kuldeep not play in the next match against Pakistan despite this? Will Team India drop him?
Behind this question is a statement, and behind that statement is a reason. Before explaining the whole matter, let’s talk a little about Kuldeep’s performance. In the match played at the Dubai International Stadium, UAE’s innings was bundled out for just 57 runs. Kuldeep played a big role by taking 4 wickets for just 7 runs in 2.1 overs. In this, his first over went without any wicket and then in the next 7 balls, he took 4 wickets, which completely destroyed the top and middle order of UAE. India won this match by losing just 1 wicket in just 4.3 overs.
Sanjay Manjrekar’s Post, a Jibe at the Team
Now, let’s understand Kuldeep’s story. Actually, when Kuldeep’s wrath was breaking on UAE, a post appeared on social media. This post was of famous commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, who wrote on his ‘X’ account, “Kuldeep has taken 3 wickets in one over. Now he might not play the next match.” But why did Manjrekar write this? Was he talking about some kind of strategy? The answer is no. Manjrekar made this post only as a jibe and this jibe he made on the Team India management.
Kuldeep Dropped After Good Performance
Actually, the reason for Manjrekar’s statement is Kuldeep’s career in Team India. Kuldeep made his debut for Team India in 2017 but since then he has been out of the team many times. On many occasions, it also happened with him that he performed well, but despite that, he was dropped from the playing 11 or even from the team. This was especially seen with him many times in Test cricket. Despite taking 5 wickets in the Sydney Test against Australia in 2019, he was dropped. Then in 2021, he got a chance to play in just 1 Test match and then he got a chance to play again in December 2022. He got a chance in a Test against Bangladesh, in which he took a 5-wicket haul but despite this, he was dropped and he made a comeback in 2024. Last year too, after good performance, he did not get a chance to play a single Test on the Australia tour and then on the England tour. Similarly, last year in the T20 World Cup, he did not get a chance in any of the group stage matches and when he returned in the Super-4, he performed brilliantly. Because of this, the Team India management often gets such jibes after Kuldeep’s good performance.