3 reasons why India must not drop Kuldeep Yadav even if Ravindra Jadeja is fit for 3rd Test

Team India will look to carry the momentum from the series-leveling victory against England at Vizag into the crucial third Test in Rajkot, starting February 15.

While the batting will continue to lack experience and pedigree with the absence of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, India will mostly have the World's No.1 ranked Test all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja back in the playing XI. Jadeja missed the second Test due to a hamstring injury sustained in the series opener at Hyderabad.

Although the 35-year-old will add substantial depth to the bowling and batting department, his inclusion will create another headache for the think tank. They will likely have to drop one of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, or the second seamer from the side.

Despite the decision being hard on whoever misses the encounter, the axe should not fall on Kuldeep Yadav for several tangible and intangible reasons.

As we look ahead to the all-important third Test of the five-match series, here are three reasons why India must not drop Kuldeep Yadav should Ravindra Jadeja be fit to play.

# 1 Kuldeep was India's best spinner in the Vizag victory

Kuldeep Yadav will undoubtedly become the most unfortunate Indian cricketer if he gets dropped a second time after propelling the side to an impressive Test win.

The 29-year-old picked up a five-wicket haul in India's opening Test win over Bangladesh in December 2022, only to be dropped from the playing XI from the very next game until the recent second Test against England.

Undeterred, Kuldeep proved his worth again by picking up four crucial wickets in the game and out-bowling the other two spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel. The left-arm chinaman bowler broke England's blossoming 59-run opening partnership in the first innings and finished his stint with figures of 3/71.

Although he endured a sub-par beginning to his second innings with the ball, Kuldeep broke England's back in the run chase with the wicket of their top-scorer Zak Crawley for 73 at the stroke of lunch on Day 4.

On a flat Vizag track, the Uttar Pradesh-born cricketer finished with match figures of 4/131, clearly better than Ashwin's 3/133 and Axar's 2/99.

# 2 Kuldeep adds mystery and variety to the spin department - A crucial factor against England's Bazball

The delivery to clean up Ben Foakes was evidence of Kuldeep's masterful mystery spin.

With Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, India will already boast two world-class finger spinners, making Axar Patel's inclusion as the third spinner a redundant option.

Instead, Kuldeep Yadav adds mystique to their spin department and makes the England batters second-guess their attacking instincts. The one-dimensional nature of the Indian spin attack, minus the wrist spin of Kuldeep, was exposed during England's second innings of the first Test. The visitors smashed 420 on a spin-friendly wicket and played their unorthodox strokes without much trouble.

However, come the second game, their lack of knowing the direction of the turning delivery against Kuldeep created doubts in a few English batters' minds. After Ben Duckett swept and reverse swept for much of his stay in the opening Test, the left-hander was stuck in his crease more often against the chinaman bowler.

Kuldeep's delivery to outfox wicket-keeper batter Ben Foakes and his ability to dislodge a set batter like Zak Crawley in the second innings sets him apart.

On the other hand, England have handled Axar with relative ease, with the left-arm spinner picking up only five wickets in two games at an average of 41.20. Even if India requires Axar's batting exploits, they should still stick with Kuldeep and field four spinners, dropping the second seamer to Bumrah.

The second pacer has been largely ineffective in both Tests, with Mohammed Siraj being wicketless in the series opener and Mukesh Kumar picking up the lone wicket and conceding runs at an economy of almost run-a-ball in the second game.

# 3 Kuldeep enjoyed a memorable outing in his lone Test at the venue

India v England - 2nd Test Match: Day Two

Kuldeep Yadav has happy memories from his lone Test at Rajkot against the West Indies in 2018. It was only his fourth red-ball outing for India.

The pressure of living up to expectations told in the first innings as the 29-year-old returned with woeful figures of 1/62 in ten overs.

However, once the nerves settled, Kuldeep was in his element, dismantling the West Indian top order with his toolbox in the second innings. His sensational figures of 5/57 included five of the first six batters in the West Indian batting lineup, helping India win by an innings and 272 runs.

Kuldeep has enjoyed bowling at the venue even in white-ball cricket, with four wickets in two ODIs and figures of 2/25 in his lone T20 game against the Gujarat Lions in IPL 2017.

Extending to overall Indian conditions, the left-arm spinner boasts an excellent record with 20 wickets in five Tests at an average of 25.60.

All of it should be reason enough for Kuldeep to retain his place in the playing XI even if Jadeja returns to the side.