5 reasons why India must pick Kuldeep Yadav in the Test squad vs England

The whole of the English fraternity right now seems to be talking about just one man from the visiting Indian camp - Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm chinaman spinner, who put in Man of the match performance on Thursday with figures of 6 for 25, has baffled the English players in two of the three matches he has played thus far on tour.

Another performance similar to his display on Thursday this weekend could clinch the series for India. The conclusion of this series would leave India with the huge proposition of winning a five-Test series, which begins from the 1st of August at Edgbaston. While the squad for that is yet to be announced, purely based on form, Kuldeep should be involved to take on the hosts in the red-ball format.

With that in mind, here are five reasons why he merits a place in that squad:

#5 Current form

Kuldeep has been one of India's best performers on tour so far

As mentioned in the introduction, Kuldeep's current form needs to be considered. There are two more matches left in the ODI series and if he can maintain his wicket-taking knack in those matches, then it would only further tempt Virat Kohli into picking him in the side.

The ball seems to be coming out well from his hand and the control over his conventional delivery and the googly seems to be excellent, at present. What he must not is to try and get carried away with his exploits at Trent Bridge.

Lord's on Saturday could pose a different challenge but if he can overcome that and succeed then he could well be a strong contender for the longer format of the game.

It is almost certain that R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will retain their spots in the Test squad, but the inclusion of Kuldeep amongst them could add another dimension to an already varied Indian bowling unit.

#4 The presence of an impressive temperament

Kuldeep seems to know how to bounce back and deliver

An attribute that players are not often judged upon is their temperament. The ability to bounce back quickly after failure or to keep going after initial success determines how far they are likely to go in their respective careers.

In his short career so far, there have been instances when Kuldeep has shown he possesses the ability to return back in later spells after a poor start and manage to still get wickets to his name.

An example of that was seen in the series against Australia last year when Glenn Maxwell and others went after him in the second ODI at Kolkata, sweeping him to all parts of the ground. But soon enough later in the innings, the chinaman returned to pick up a hat-trick to derail the visitors' innings and eventually take India home.

Even on current tour, that was on view when he returned to the first ODI after having a poor second T20I at Cardiff. This aspect could also come to play in Test cricket, where there could be phases where he might not get wickets, but if he can keep a similar temperament he can succeed in the longest format as well.

#3 Confusion in the opposition camp

England are unsure which way the ball is turning

It is apparent right now that England are not picking Kuldeep. There has been a lot of talk of how they should be picking him from the hand and observe it very closely.

That is easier said than done, when the bowler is 22 yards away from the batsman and he has no cameras or any other technology aiding him in picking the chinaman.

Because there is such a cloud hanging over how they would counter him in the remainder of the series, India could use that to their advantage and play him in the Tests as well where the makeup of the English will be different and he could pose similar problems in the longer format as well.

#2 Running through sides

He could be the guy that could finish off swiftly

One of the issues that has plagued Indian cricket in the past has been their inability to finish the innings when they have opposition sides on the ropes. It has meant that on quite a few occasions, their opponents have managed to snatch back momentum and then held the upper hand for the remainder of the match.

With Kuldeep, and the variety he brings to the present Indian team, he has the ability to finish the tail off with his deliveries and that could help India not concede the late runs they have been guilty of doing on a number of occasions previously.

#1 The timing is right

He is ready!

There are times when you know a player is ready. Ready to take the extra responsibility. To take the jump to the next level. Kuldeep, right now, is in that next stage and Kohli and co. must abide by that and take the plunge with him.

The scenario right now, is similar to what India faced with KL Rahul in 2014. Prior to picking the squad for the tour of Australia, the right-hander had scored a triple hundred for Karnataka and there was talk of how he ought to be given a break in Australia.

The selectors took the call and picked him in the squad and he validated that selection by making a hundred in only his second Test at Sydney. In the same manner, Kuldeep on current form and the confusion that he has caused on the English batsmen seems to be a similar point in his career and should be backed like Rahul was four years ago.