Kuldeep Yadav Rishabh Pant for India in Tests. Image Credits: AFP
Kuldeep Yadav was the worst Indian spinner in the first innings against Afghanistan. He conceded 3.20 runs per over across 10 sets and, more importantly, looked ineffective for most of the innings.
Kuldeep was wicketless and missed his mark multiple times on a deck that was slightly slow with low bounce at times. However, he redeemed himself nicely in the second bowling dig and picked three crucial scalps.
How Kuldeep Yadav made a solid comeback after an underwhelming start
Kuldeep Yadav shifted his lengths in the second innings, going fuller to give the batters minimal time to adjust. This was a deck where the ball didnāt come quickly after pitching, so batters found it easier to manage non-fuller lengths.
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Kuldeep, the slowest among the three spinners, faced the biggest issue on a slow track, as good length deliveries (4-6 meters) became easier to play off the back foot. With a median length of 4.11 meters in the second innings, he bowled around 55.73% in good length areas.
However, batters played him on the back foot on 52.9% deliveries when pitched between 4 and 6 meters. In comparison, batters played only 44.2% and 46.7% balls on the back foot against Manav Suthar and Washington Sundar, respectively.
Afghanistan batters played Kuldeep Yadav from the back foot
Good lengths clearly werenāt working for Kuldeep, as was visible by Rahmat Shahās boundary. On the fourth delivery of the 19th over, the spinner bowled on the shorter side of the good length, but the batter easily went back and punched off the back foot.
Adjustment in the second innings
Kuldeep Yadav was slower than the other two Indian spinners in both innings, with median speeds of 82.49 and 81.35 km/h across two innings. However, he adjusted his lengths and went fuller to avoid giving the batters more time.
In the second innings, his median length shifted to 3.87 meters, fuller by 0.24 meters compared to the first innings. It helped him because the Afghanistan batters couldnāt play him properly off the back foot as they did initially.
Their back foot % rose further to 57.1% in the third innings, as the opponent looked to continue with a template that had fetched them success earlier. However, since lengths were fuller than before, playing punches and other back foot shots wasnāt easy.
The dismissal of Nangeyalia Kharote, a tailender, serves as a nice example. That was on the fuller side of good length, but Kharote went on the back foot and couldnāt control the bounce.
The fuller lengths (2-4 meters) surged from 37.7% to 52.1%, while good lengths reduced from 55.7% to 43.8%. Kuldeep also shifted his lines, with deliveries outside off stump rising from 42.6% to 56.2% in the third innings.
Kuldeep Yadav adjusted his lengths in the third innings
Two of his 3 wickets came from this line, including a big scalp of Rahmanullah Gurbaz. All in all, his speeds remained the same throughout, but his lines and lengths changed drastically.
Kuldeep Yadav crucial for India in Tests
Kuldeep Yadav finds himself in a tricky spot in Indian colours. Heās no longer the first-choice spinner in T20Is, with Varun Chakravarthy continuously playing ahead of him.
Meanwhile, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel are other options who get the nod due to their batting capabilities. In ODIs, he remains a frontline option, but managementās preference for bowling all-rounders can keep him out at times, should the deck require more pacers.
In Tests, Kuldeepās again not a first-choice spinner, with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar playing due to their batting value. Even Manav Suthar is a better batter than him.
At the moment, India are strengthening their spin stocks for the Sri Lanka and Australia series. Hence, Kuldeep Yadav must keep evolving with the red ball to remain in contention and not fall out of the scheme.
The management has already moved on from Axar Patel, as visible by the selection of Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey for the Afghanistan Test. Kuldeep didnāt enjoy a good IPL 2026, and he seems to have lost his fizz a bit.
This is also a phase where Indiaās spin stocks are slightly shaky. Ravichandran Ashwin has retired, while Ravindra Jadeja has shown signs of regression.
Hence, Kuldeep Yadav, with all the unique attributes he brings, must find more consistency and the ability to hold his lengths for longer periods. The correction in the third innings against Afghanistan should serve as a momentum he carries forward in upcoming red-ball assignments.
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