“If he had been played, you would have won 3-1” - Former cricketer slams India for benching Kuldeep Yadav in ENG vs IND 2025 Test series

Former cricketer Maninder Singh has expressed his disappointment over India’s decision to bench left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav during the five-match Test series against England. The 60-year-old stated that the series, which ended 2-2, could have been won 3-1 by India had Kuldeep been included.

Speaking to Sports Now, Maninder voiced his displeasure with Shubman Gill and the team management over certain decisions during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, including keeping Kuldeep out for the entire series. He said:

“Look, Gill is such a player that I feel one very good thing has been done, that he has been made vice-captain because he is the future captain. There is something different in him. Although when he did captaincy in Test matches in England, I was a little disappointed.”

“A player who is such a good player, and then on the field when taking decisions, because in the first Test match you made the team chase 380 runs. Then the team selection that was happening, I had been saying from the first Test match that Kuldeep Yadav should be played because if he had been played, you would have won the series 3-1,” he added.

Since his debut in 2017, Kuldeep Yadav has played just 13 Tests, claiming 56 wickets at an average of 22.16 with a strike rate of 37.3, including four five-wicket hauls.

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“Maturity was visible” - Maninder Singh on India Test skipper Shubman Gill

In the same conversation, Maninder Singh noted that while Shubman Gill made a few mistakes during the England tour, his maturity was evident as the series progressed. He also expressed confidence that the 26-year-old would become India’s next T20I captain. Singh said:

“So somewhere a mistake happened, maybe he had to do what the coach was saying. But in the coming time you will see maturity, because from the beginning till the last Test match that maturity was visible."

"So I am happy for him that he has been made vice-captain and I am fully confident that in the coming time when Suryakumar Yadav goes, or is removed, or retires, then he will become captain because he seems like that kind of material who has a good future. I feel this for all formats, because Shreyas Iyer has not been kept in the team, for whom I used to say he should be captain, so the next one in my eyes is Shubman Gill," he added.

Shubman Gill has represented India in 113 matches across formats, scoring 6,000 runs at an average of 46.15, including 25 half-centuries and 18 centuries.