Former India player Mohammad Kaif slammed the India management for not fielding spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the decisive 3rd ODI vs England at Lord’s, saying that the player should just pack his bags and say goodbye to international cricket if he can’t find a place in a depleted Indian bowling lineup.
“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.
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also said that not selecting Kuldeep in a lineup in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah can affect the spinner’s rhythm and confidence.
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…
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 19, 2026
“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 rythm and confidence of a bowler,” he said on X.
In the absence of veterans like Kuldeep and Bumrah, Ben Duckett made mincemeat of an inexperienced Indian bowling attack with a fabulous 141 as England posted a mammoth 387 for 3, riding on a 192-run opening stand between the centurion and Jacob Bethell.
Bumrah’s absence due to an impact injury on his left knee was certainly a blow for India and that proved to be telling for the visitors. The four-pronged pace attack comprising Prasidh Krishna (2/69 in 10 overs), Arshdeep Singh (0/72 in 10 overs), Prince Yadav (1/79 on 10 overs) and Gurnoor Brar (0/97 in 10 overs), with a cumulative experience of 51 ODIs, lacked both skill and experience against an in-form batting line-up.
