Kuldeep Yadav had hoped to make a comeback to the Indian Test side as he travelled to England with the squad. After missing out on playing in the first four Test matches, there were rumours that the team management could consider bringing in Yadav in the fifth and final Test.
However, as the team list came out on the first day of the game, it was revealed that Yadav has once again been ignored as Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep and Karun Nair returned to the playing XI, in place of Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur and Anshul Kamboj.
Since making his Test debut eight years back in 2017, Yadav has featured in only 13 matches and picked up 56 wickets. For years, has been considered only for the white-ball teams as R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been India's go-to spinners in overseas or domestic series.
Follow The Sporting News India on WhatsApp
With Ashwin's retirement coming in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Yadav would have hoped that he would finally become a regular started in the Test side, however, Washington Sundar's emergence as a complete all-rounder has now dented his hopes.
When did Kuldeep Yadav last play for India in a Test match?
Kuldeep Yadav's last appearance for the Indian team came against New Zealand in October 2024 in Bengaluru, where India went down by eight wickets.
When did Kuldeep Yadav last play an overseas Test match?
Yadav's last overseas Test match was against Bangladesh in Chittagong in December 2022, which India won by 188 runs.
READ: Revealed: Why IND legends boycott PAK clash in WCL 2025
How many overseas Tests has Kuldeep Yadav played in his career?
Out of the 13 Test matches Yadav played in his career, only four of them were away from home.
| Opponent | Match | Wickets | BBI | Avg. | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1 | 5 | 5/99 | 19.80 | 1 |
| Bangladesh | 1 | 8 | 5/40 | 14.12 | 1 |
| England | 1 | 0 | - | - | 0 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 5 | 4/40 | 19.20 | 0 |