Ahead of the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, former spinner Murali Kartik has urged the Indian team management to give Kuldeep Yadav consistent confidence, explicit role certainty, and the status of a primary match-winner within the squad.
Kartik’s suggestion highlights a notable shift in how the left-arm wrist-spinner has been utilized across different leadership eras.
While the previous management actively built Yadav’s confidence through regular game time, the current regime has occasionally sidelined him in favor of batting depth or alternative bowling combinations.
Kuldeep was part of India’s squad for the away ODI series against England last month, but warmed the bench in all three matches. He has also been sidelined from the T20I setup following an underwhelming IPL 2026 campaign.
“He’s not a rabbit with the bat. He can definitely hold the bat—we’ve seen him bat as nightwatchman and occupy the crease for long periods. Maybe he doesn’t have the hitting ability of Jadeja and Ashwin, but I wouldn’t look at him from that angle. Look at him solely as a spin bowler, and he’s a wonderful bowler, a match‑winner who’s picked wickets in different countries," Kartik told News18 CricketNext in an interaction organised by Sony Sports.
“The key is he needs to be handled well. He’s had his share of injuries, even recently he struggled with his groin. But every time we talk about him playing, he’s not featured. You want consistency for Kuldeep. As a spinner, you want to know you’re a certainty—then you work very differently. The way Rohit and Rahul handled him was different, and maybe that’s why Ashwin and Jadeja, who were part of that regime, feel that," he added.
Ravichandran Ashwin has remarked how he’s unhappy with Kuldeep’s treatment under the current management. In one video, he even said that him and Ravindra Jadeja, in the twilight of their careers, considered Kuldeep the leader of the spin attack — a trajectory that seems to be derailed now.
Kartik emphasized that Kuldeep Yadav performs best when he feels wanted, supported, and treated as a leader of the spin department.
“It’s high praise coming from Ashwin, saying even with us around we treated him like a lead bowler. It’s about making any player feel wanted. Humans are involved, emotions are involved. If you handle Kuldeep Yadav really well, you’ll get the best out of him," he remarked.
Murali Kartik noted that prioritizing batting depth over bowling strength can backfire in Test cricket, as securing 20 wickets remains the core requirement to win matches rather than shielding the lower-order batting.
“You don’t load your batting just to protect it and weaken the bowling, or the other way round—though it’s always the batting that wants bolstering. Guys like Manav Suthar and Kuldeep Yadav can bat if they find a place. You want enough arsenal to blow the opposition out twice," he said.
Kartik stressed the need for a consistent run for players in a team, specifically addressing how being dropped in and out of the playing XI creates mental doubts for a cricketer.
“From personal experience, if you don’t have a consistent run, in‑out, there’s no continuity, no feel‑good factor. You don’t know why you’re out, why you’re in. It creates a lot of doubts in your own mind. You know you’re good—that’s why you’re in the 15—but if you’re in and out of the playing XI, it creates doubts. That’s why I said he needs to be handled well," he concluded.
