Not playing me in Brisbane was the right decision: Kuldeep Yadav

India's left-arm unorthodox spinner Kuldeep Yadav believes the team management made the right decision to not play him in the fourth Test of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Gabba.

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja had dislocated his thumb during the Sydney Test, while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was suffering from back spasms. Thus, both the premier Indian spinners were ruled out of the series decider in Brisbane.

Many believed this was the right time for Kuldeep Yadav to get a game since he had picked up a five-wicket haul in his last Test Down Under.

However, a few eyebrows were raised when Team India went in with four fast bowlers and handed Test debuts to all-rounder Washington Sundar and pacer T Natarajan.

Speaking to The Hindu, Kuldeep Yadav has explained why not playing him at the Gabba was the right decision.

The pitch was going to suit the pacers and hence it was only fair to play four seamers, with the all-round ability of Sundar giving the Indian team that much-needed balance.

"When we reached Brisbane, I thought maybe I could get a chance to play, but after a look at the wicket - which appeared to be slightly green - it was decided that we would go for four fast bowlers. That was the correct decision," Kuldeep Yadav said.

A moment We’ll cherish forever! 😍 Everyone stood up, gave it everything, supporting each other to do their best. Most importantly we never gave up 💪 This is one of the finest performances for us! So proud of this special win. Jai Hind 🇮🇳💯 pic.twitter.com/sD7Zm5COgK

— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) January 19, 2021

When you have two top spinners like Ashwin and Jadeja, it is not easy to break into the team: Kuldeep Yadav

Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin

Kuldeep Yadav stressed that he wasn't frustrated to be the only player in India's Test squad to not get a game. He understood that the team management had to give priority to the balance of the side.

The 26-year-old has accepted that the likes of Ashwin and Jadeja are going to be ahead of him in the pecking order.

"I am comfortable playing anywhere, but then, it depends on the team combination. When you have two top spinners in Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja, it is not easy to break into the team," Kuldeep Yadav asserted.

Kuldeep Yadav also threw light on the fact that skipper Virat Kohli and the support staff always kept his morale high, despite him not getting a game in the Test series.

"Ravi sir backed me a lot, so did Virat bhai. I had long chats with Arun sir, who kept on encouraging me and said that “tera time aayega” (your time will come) and that I should perform well. It’s not that they left me out of the plan just because I was not playing and those discussions definitely helped me," he further added.

🗨️ "Kuldeep Yadav's time will come"Bowling coach B Arun felt the Chinaman will make a difference in the next tour & also lauded the team's overall bowling performance in Australia 👏🏻👏🏻 #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/DjRJLks8Gy

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 22, 2021

Kuldeep Yadav's time might just come in the four-match Test series against England which is set to begin in Chennai from February 5.

With Jadeja ruled out of the first two Tests, Kuldeep could play as the second specialist spinner alongside Ashwin in the Indian playing XI.

Kuldeep has played just three Tests in India, but has picked up 14 wickets. He will be determined to give his best and create an impact for Team India on their home turf.