"He Won't Play Next Game...": Sanjay Manjrekar's Joke Exposes India's Mistreatment Of Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav delivered a sensational bowling performance - picking up four wickets, including three in one over - as India thrashed United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their opening Asia Cup 2025 clash. Following the match, former India cricketer and reputed expert Sanjay Manjrekar lamented the cruel fate of Kuldeep when it comes to Indian cricket. Manjrekar credited Kuldeep for delivering despite often being dropped for long spells, and joked that Kuldeep may get dropped again after a stellar performance against UAE.

"Now that Kuldeep Yadav has taken three wickets in one over, he will not play the next game, because that's how India treats him," joked Manjrekar, speaking on Sony Sports.

"When he plays well, he gets dropped. He got four wickets, so there's no way he's going to play the next match," Manjrekar added.

"I'm kidding, but this is what Kuldeep Yadav's career is all about. In between getting dropped, he does some real magic. When you look at his numbers, be it Tests or ODIs or T20Is, they are incredible. But he is one of the dispensable players in the Indian side, but that's his fate," Manjrekar said.

Manjrekar's words are backed up by Kuldeep's statistics. Despite making his debut in 2017, Kuldeep has played only 13 Tests and 41 T20Is till date.

For much of his career, Kuldeep has had to compete against the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi for limited spinner spots in the Indian teams across formats.

Despite his scattered appearances, Kuldeep boasts an average of under 27 in ODIs, only 22.16 in Tests and a sensational 13.39 in T20Is.

On Wednesday, Kuldeep was the pick of the Indian bowlers as they bundled out UAE for just 57.

Coming in to bowl after the powerplay, Kuldeep took three wickets in the ninth over of the UAE innings, triggering their sudden collapse. In that over, UAE went from 48/2 to 50/5.

UAE would end up adding just seven more runs, losing the rest of their five wickets in a short period. Their total of 57 became their lowest-ever Asia Cup T20 total, and the second-lowest out of all teams.

India ended up chasing down the target in just 4.3 overs, making it their largest-ever win by balls remaining.

Kuldeep was named the 'Player of the Match' against UAE for his incredible middle overs spell.

Topics mentioned in this article

Kuldeep Yadav Sanjay Manjrekar India Cricket Team Asia Cup 2025 Cricket