Amid IPL Trade Saga, Kuldeep Yadav Gets Stern Message From India Coach: 'Has To Reinvent Himself'
The temporary loss of magic from Kuldeep Yadav's craft did not worry India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate but he reminded the left-arm wrist spinner the need to reinvent himself and stay ahead of the burgeoning competition.
The temporary loss of magic from Kuldeep Yadav's craft did not worry India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate but he reminded the left-arm wrist spinner the need to reinvent himself and stay ahead of the burgeoning competition. Perhaps, it was an effort to reignite the competitive spirit inside him. Kuldeep has plucked 22 wickets in 15 ODIs till date from January 2025, and his returns in T20Is in the same time span he has taken 22 wickets from 14 matches.
Overall, those are not bad numbers but sports always has a recency bias as the 31-year-old went through a lean run in IPL 2026 for Delhi Capitals — 10 wickets — and was consummately out-bowled by Manav Suthar and Washington Sundar in the solitary Test against Afghanistan.
That modest outing in the IPL cost him a place in India's T20I side to travel to Ireland and England later this month.
“Look, the wickets aren't always there and I thought he bowled really well the other night. As someone who hasn't played a continuous string of games for a while, even in Test matches, he hasn't always played. No real concerns about him,” Ten Doeschate said on the eve of the third ODI against Afghanistan, He failed to pluck any wicket in the second ODI at Lucknow after spending time at the dugout in the first match at Dharamsala.
It prompted Ten Doeschate to underline the need for a bowler to keep evolving.
“We always like to play a risk spinner or a mystery spinner. But certainly the way the game is evolving and the way guys go after the spin now, it's the onus is back on the spinner to almost reinvent himself from time to time.
“Kuldeep as well as other spinners, especially having (spin coach) Sairaj (Bahutule) now to work with, they can work on a lot of tactical things and game planning and trying to come up with new ideas. I think Kuldeep is travelling nicely,” he added.
The fact of a new set of spinners like Suthar and Harsh Dubey rushing through the assembly line also did not lose on Ten Doeschate.
In fact, Kuldeep played just one match in the home T20 World Cup earlier this year, where a restrictive Axar Patel and more versatile Varun Chakravarthy were preferred over him.
While Ten Doeschate was not overtly worried over Kuldeep's diminishing returns, but was clear in his view that the wrist spinner cannot be guaranteed a place in the eleven despite the value he brings in.
“I think the same as everyone else. You have to fight for your spot in the team and the team will always be picked on balance and role specificity. So, Kuldeep's got that spot covered in terms of wrist spin.
"We know where he bats in the team and sometimes you do want to go with an spin bowling all-rounder. If you look at the total impact on the game, playing on small grounds, playing in India where the white ball travels, that decision is often a tactical one.
"It's no slight on Kuldeep. There are a lot of players chasing his heels and I've got no doubt in his abilities. I'd say he's more than a guy who waits on the wings in terms of quality performance. It's our job to push him to make sure that he keeps getting better and keeping that kind of pace,” he added.
It was no surprise then to see Kuldeep bowling some extra overs at nets at Chepauk, a venue that has traditionally favoured slower bowlers.
Perhaps, Kuldeep can reset his journey from this fabled ground where many several great spinners left an indelible mark.
Ten Doeschate's message to Kuldeep comes amid emerging reports that the wrist-spinner is set to move from Delhi Capitals (DC) to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in a high-profile IPL trade deal. (READ MORE)
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Kuldeep Yadav
Ryan ten Doeschate
India Cricket Team