Left-arm wrist spin was a rare skill in India until Kuldeep Yadav burst onto the scene, capturing 14 wickets in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup. His impressive performances in the IPL and domestic cricket ensured his place in Team India, leaving batsmen bewildered with his variations.
Over the past few years, Kuldeep has emerged as a match-winner for India. He played a key role in India's 4-1 Test series victory against England in 2024, the T20 World Cup 2024, and the Champions Trophy 2025. His spell of 3/19 in the semi-final against England and decisive wickets against Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson in the final against New Zealand proved game-changing.
Read more: 'He's India's X Factor, a crucial miss for the Asia Cup...', reveals Harbhajan on the team's major shortcoming.
Recently, Kuldeep has been sidelined as management prefers bowlers who excel with the bat as well. Former Indian spinner Maninder Singh believes that had Kuldeep played in the England Test series, India could have won 3-1.
There's concern Kuldeep might miss out on the Asia Cup 2025, with the team likely banking on Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy. Varun's recent performances have been stellar, taking 31 wickets in 12 T20Is and 9 wickets in 3 matches during the Champions Trophy 2025. Maninder Singh suggests that Varun could be India's X-factor in the Asia Cup.
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India's Asia Cup Squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (Wicketkeeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
