The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced India’s squad for the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy, with Kuldeep Yadav as one of the surprising absentees. Here’s why the wrist spinner was excluded from the squad.
Kuldeep is part of India’s ongoing Test series against New Zealand. He played the first Test in Bengaluru, where India succumbed to an eight-wicket defeat before being replaced in Pune by Washington Sundar, who is excelling in the ongoing match. Notably, he is still retained for the final game in Mumbai.
The BCCI confirmed that his omission from the Australia Test tour was not a strategic decision but an injury-based one.
Long-term fix for Kuldeep injury
"Kuldeep Yadav was unavailable for selection for the tour of Australia since he has been referred to the BCCI Centre of Excellence after the end of the ongoing Test series against New Zealand for long term resolution of his chronic left groin issue," a statement from the board read.
The same groin issue had affected him during IPL 2024.
There is also no room for left-arm spinner Axar Patel, as India opted for Sundar as the third tweaker besides R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
#ICYMI: India have announced their squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting next month.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) October 26, 2024
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In India’s historic 2018-19 series win, Kuldeep picked up a five-wicket haul in his maiden Test match Down Under in Sydney. After his performance, Ravi Shastri, then India head coach, hailed Kuldeep as "India’s frontline number one overseas spinner". However, his Test career has failed to achieve prolonged continuity, with him playing only 13 matches in the format since his debut in 2017. With this exclusion, his stuttering Test career has received yet another roadblock.
Another prominent name missing from the squad due to an injury is Mohammed Shami, who has failed to recover in time after sustaining an ankle injury in the ODI World Cup last year.
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