India Star Told To 'Pack His Bags And Retire' After Being Overlooked By Gautam Gambhir
Kuldeep Yadav has now sat out three of India's all ODIs in England after being rested from the T20I leg of the tour.
- Mohammad Kaif was critical of Gautam Gambhir for overlooking Kuldeep Yadav for the 3rd ODI against England
- Kaif said Kuldeep should consider retiring from international cricket if the team continues to ignore him
- "Kuldeep Yadav should be thinking of packing his bags and saying goodbye to international cricket," said Kaif
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif lashed out at head coach Gautam Gambhir over the omission of spinner Kuldeep Yadav from the playing XI for the 3rd ODI against England at Lord's Cricket Ground. Kaif was critical of Gambhir over the treatment of Kuldeep, who hasn't played a game in the series, suggesting that the left-arm spinner should consider taking retirement from international cricket if the team management continues to ignore him. Taking to X, Kaif highlighted Kuldeep's stunning record in ODIs.
"Kuldeep Yadav should be thinking of packing his bags and saying goodbye to international cricket. Today there was no Bumrah, no Washington, no Varun but Kuldeep still didn't find a place in 11. India's bowling attack at Lord's is one dimensional and lacks variety. A left-arm wrist spinner would have come handy. Remember he has 194 wickets in 118 ODIs. It seems these numbers don't matter," Kaif posted on X.
Kaif also expressed his surprise over Kuldeep's omission, especially considering that India was already without regulars Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar and Varun Chakravarthy among others.
Meanwhile, R Ashwin also questioned the team management's decision to repeatedly bench Kuldeep.
"The only defense for not playing Kuldeep usually is that the batting finishes at number 7, wonder how it feels to have Arshdeep at number 8 today! Adding Bumrah's absence to that, one can only feel bad for Kuldeep. Trust me, this can affect the rhythm and confidence of a bowler," Ashwin stated on his 'X' account on Sunday.
Kuldeep has now sat out three of India's all ODIs in England after being rested from the T20I leg of the tour.
The Indian team management has usually preferred Axar Patel and Washington as they bolster batting depth. While Axar and Washington have justified their selection with all-round performances, Kuldeep's primary skill continues to be overlooked due to his lower-order batting limitations.
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Kuldeep Yadav
Gautam Gambhir