Kuldeep Yadav’s selection for the Lord’s Test looks uncertain due to conditions, team combination, and recent trends. A few strategic and form-related factors may work against his inclusion in the playing XI.

After a historic Test victory at Edgbaston, Team India will play the third Test of the five-match series against England at Lord’s in London, starting on July 10.

Though Shubman Gill-led Team India will look to carry on the Edgbaston momentum into the iconic clash, the discussion is on the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav for the Lord’s Test against England. The 30-year-old wrist spinner is part of India’s Test squad for the ongoing England Test series, but he has yet to play a match as he was not omitted from the playing XI for the Headingley and Edgbaston Tests.

Since his debut against Australia in 2017, Kuldeep Yadav has played only 13 Tests and picked 56 wickets at an average of 22. However, Kuldeep is unlikely to be picked for the Lord’s Test.

Here are five reasons why Kuldeep Yadav is unlikely to be benched again for the much-anticipated Lord’s Test:

One of the key reasons why Kuldeep Yadav unlikely to be picked for the Lord’s Test is that the pitch traditionally provides more assistance to the seamers than spinners, at least in the first three days of the match. Team India management may prefer to have an extra pacer or seam bowling all-rounder in the team over a spin specialist, making Kuldeep expendable.

In the first Two Tests at Headingley and Edgbaston, the spinners struggled to make a significant impact, further strengthening a pace-heavy attack in English conditions, which have seam and swing, with Dukes Ball and overhead weather offering an extra seam movement. When Kuldeep Yadav last played a Test match at Lord’s in 2018, the left-arm spinner failed to take a single wicket in his spell of nine overs in the first innings.

The two spin bowling all-rounders in Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar not only offer reliable options with the ball but also provide depth to India’s batting line-up. This was evident by their performance in the Edgbaston Test, where Jadeja scored two crucial fifties and Sundar scored a vital 42 in the first innings.

Since Lord’s pitch is expected to assist seamers more than spinners, Team India management will look to have a balanced playing XI where bowlers can contribute with the bat, just like how the visitors out-batted and out-bowled England in the historic Edgbaston Test win. The versatility of spin bowling all-rounders in Jadeja and Sundar might push Kuldeep Yadav out of contention for a spot in the playing XI.

Another key reason why Kuldeep Yadav is unlikely to be included in the playing XI for the Lord’s Test is the need to maintain a right balance between pace and spin, as well as batting and bowling depth. Including Kuldeep Yadav in the team could mean that India have to drop either Washington Sundar or Ravindra Jadeja or a pacer. With Jasprit Bumrah returning to the playing XI after being rested for the Edgbaston Test and Jofra Archer’s potential inclusion in the England team, India are expected to go with three frontline pacers and a seam bowling all-rounder.

With Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja expected to retain their place in the playing XI, Kuldeep Yadav might find himself on the bench again, as the team management is unlikely to disrupt a winning combination that they formed for the Edgbaston Test victory.

Kuldeep Yadav does not have enough game time under her belt in red-ball cricket after being sidelined from cricketing action for five months due to injury. Yadav missed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, which Team India lost the five-match Test series 1-3. Moreover, Kuldeep Yadav has played only one Test in England, which came at Lord’s in 2018, where he went wicketless in nine overs.

His limited exposure to English conditions and lack of red-ball gametime under his belt could weigh heavily against his selection to the playing XI for the Lord’s Test. With other bowlers having more red-ball gametime under their belt and rhythm, Team India management prefers to have those who are in the thick of the competitive cricket leading up to the Lord’s Test.

England’s ultra-aggressive approach, which is famously called ‘Bazball’, may negate Kuldeep Yadav’s strength as a wrist-spinner, who relies on flight, deception, and building pressure over a sustained spell. Under the captain-coach duo of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, England batters showed their tendency to take on spinners with their aggressive approach.

Since Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja had some resistance against England’s Bazball aggression by fetching the ball with their tighter lines and ability to contain runs in the Edgbaston Test, the Team India management prefers to have them over Kuldeep Yadav, who attacking style could be countered by England’s intent to disrupt early rhythm and force errors through high-risk strokeplay.