Murali Kartik, former India spinner, criticized the Indian team management for omitting left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav from the India squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand. The Test series will begin on November 19 in Wellington, and India replaced Kuldeep with pacer Gurnoor Brar.
Gurnoor Brar, who has picked nine wickets in three innings in the ODI series, including a career-best 4 for 30 in Wellington, will link up with the Test squad and miss the fifth ODI at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
“The Men’s Selection Committee has added Gurnoor Brar to the Indian squad for the two-match Test series against New Zealand, starting November 19, 2026, in Wellington. Kuldeep Yadav will be released from the Test squad in order to play the ongoing domestic cricket back in India,” BCCI’s official statement said.
Murali Kartik slammed the team management for making up their minds that the pitches in the two Tests will be pace-bowling friendly and that it will be hard for Kuldeep Yadav to accept this decision. Kuldeep Yadav was benched throughout the five-game T20I series, playing only one ODI, giving away 73 runs in 8 overs in the fourth game, and India lost by a record 244 runs.
Murali Kartik voiced concern over the way the call was handled and how it might further impact Kuldeep Yadav's mentality and confidence.
“I hope they sat him down and told him about the bigger picture. If you have sat him down, it is still hard to accept, but at least you know that this is where you stand. But it is never easy. You have been picked initially, and then you are asked to go and play domestic cricket. It is a different thing when this is happening in India, but being sent back home from New Zealand is different. You have already made up your mind that the wickets are going to be like that,” Murali Kartik said on Cricbuzz.
Kuldeep Yadav is expected to join Uttar Pradesh’s squad for the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2026-27. India’s Test squad consists of six specialist seamers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, and Gurnoor Brar.
Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja are the spin all-rounders, while Nitish Kumar Reddy is the pace bowling all-rounder in the Test squad.
Moreover, Murali Kartik pointed out that Kuldeep Yadav’s statistics, despite not being regularly chosen in the Indian playing eleven in all forms of cricket, have value in themselves, and he always needs mentorship to perform well in matches.
“It is very hard to accept, especially when you have churned out the kind of numbers that he has. In spite of those sporadic appearances, his numbers are outstanding. You have to make them feel wanted. I think that is the most important thing. He is a match-winning bowler,” Murali Kartik said.
Since taking a five-wicket haul in the Sydney Test in 2019, Kuldeep Yadav has only featured in two overseas tests. Overall, Kuldeep has played 19 tests, taking 80 wickets with the best bowling of 5/40 at an average of 23.36.
