"There is no guarantee that he would have taken a 5-wicket haul" - Aakash Chopra on whether Kuldeep Yadav should have played ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Former India player Aakash Chopra has acknowledged that Kuldeep Yadav need not necessarily have bowled a potent spell had he been part of the Indian team's playing XI for the fourth Test against England. However, he opined that the left-arm wrist-spinner's absence is a bit of an issue.

India allowed England to reach 544/7 in their first innings on Day 3 (Friday, July 25) at Manchester. The hosts enjoy a 186-run lead, having bowled the visitors out for 358 on Day 2.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener admitted that it's easy to pass judgments from outside. However, he reckoned that Kuldeep should have played the Manchester Test, considering the nature of the surface.

"Should Kuldeep Yadav have been played? It's a genuine question. Morne Morkel came and gave a statement that he is bowling well and they want to play him, but they won't be able to play him until the top six score runs properly. I get it, and I don't get it. It's easy to judge or comment on it sitting outside because my skin is not in the game," Chopra said (5:15).

"There was a strong case for Kuldeep Yadav because the pitch is extremely flat. It's not your typical Manchester surface where the ball moves on all five days. In such a scenario, you say that it might have been better had Kuldeep been there. However, there is no guarantee that he would have taken a five-wicket haul had he played, but Kuldeep not playing, I think, it's a bit of an issue," he added.

India opted to go with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar as the two spinners ahead of Kuldeep Yadav. The duo contributed 47 runs between them in the visitors' first innings and have picked up two wickets apiece in England's first innings thus far.

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"I think they are going down that route" - Aakash Chopra on India leaving out Kuldeep Yadav to have batting depth

Shardul Thakur is the third all-rounder in India's playing XI for the Manchester Test. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Kuldeep Yadav hasn't been picked to have more batting depth, a route Team India have taken consistently lately.

"I can understand that if the top six are not scoring enough runs, you feel whether you can play one more batting and bowling kind of option, where my batting gets strengthened and my bowling isn't weakened much. I think they are going down that route. The problem is that they are repeatedly going down that route. They were doing that in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and are doing so here as well," he said.

While observing that Washington Sundar has fared well with the ball at Lord's and Old Trafford, the cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that the plethora of bowling options has ensured that the off-spinner has not been utilized effectively.

"You see sparks of brilliance at times, like the way Washi bowled at Lord's and here, and then a question arises whether they were too late in bringing Washi on. But then that's the other thing, you have six bowlers, so how will you bowl everyone equally?" Chopra elaborated.

Aakash Chopra noted that Team India are still trying to figure out their best combination as they are going through a transition. However, he opined that it's always better to pick a potent bowler than to look for all-rounders who can contribute a few extra runs.