Former India's star batter Robin Uthappa has offered some clear advice to Kuldeep Yadav on how to secure a more regular spot in the Test team. Kuldeep, a left-arm spinner, recently travelled with India's squad for a five-match Test series in England but didn't get a chance to play in a single game, which drew some criticism. Since his Test debut in 2017, he has only appeared in 13 matches, with his last red-ball match for India being against New Zealand in 2024.
Robin Uthappa wants Kuldeep Yadav to focus on his batting skills
Head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill received some backlash for not including Kuldeep in the lineup for the England series. However, the team's decision to prioritize batting depth in English conditions was ultimately justified by the 2-2 series result. They chose to play Washington Sundar instead, who performed well with the bat, scoring a century in Manchester and a half-century at The Oval. Sundar finished the series with 284 runs at an impressive average of 47.33. While he didn't get many opportunities with the ball on pace-friendly pitches, he did manage to take seven wickets.
To improve his chances of being selected, Uthappa advised Kuldeep to focus on his batting skills to align with the team management's strategy. However, he also noted that this will not be an easy task for the spinner.
"Put Kuldeep in the 11 and make sure you're batting is still in a state where none of the fans will go after the team management or the captain. With all due respect to Kuldeep's prowess with the ball, he's got limitations to his batting. That's going to take a lot of effort from his side," Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.
The 39-year-old also pointed to Ravichandran Ashwin as an example for Kuldeep to follow. The legendary spinner, who was once a regular in overseas Test matches, has six Test centuries to his name. Ashwin often played crucial, rescue-missions with the bat during difficult situations, highlighting the value of a bowler who can also contribute significantly with the bat.
"Ashwin has got 5-6 Test hundreds. If he can do that at the lower middle batting order, say at number eight or nine, then he will certainly play more Tests," Uthappa further added.