Very, very difficult': Murali Kartik on Kuldeep Yadav's chance to become India's next spin leader

NEW DELHI: For Kuldeep Yadav, India's two-Test series against Sri Lanka is an important opportunity. With the team going through a transition, Kuldeep can strengthen his case to become a key part of India's red-ball plans. Ravindra Jadeja is in the twilight of his career, and India need to identify their next generation of spinners. Kuldeep's experience could make him an important part of that transition. Former India spinner Murali Kartik believes Kuldeep has a chance to play a bigger role. However, Kuldeep's numbers under different captains show that he remained an important bowler across formats. Under Rohit, Kuldeep played 62 matches and took 116 wickets at an average of 20.92. His economy rate was 4.57 and his strike rate was 27.4. He also took two five-wicket hauls. Under Virat Kohli, Kuldeep played 75 matches and took 140 wickets at an average of 25.34. He took four five-wicket hauls, with his best figures being 6/25. Under Shubman Gill, Kuldeep has played nine matches and taken 23 wickets at an average of 27.65. His best figures are 5/82. The numbers underline the different roles Kuldeep has had under India's captains. "And look, Kuldeep Yadav has been a match-winner for India, but unfortunately for him, things played out differently when he had Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid as the captain and coach, respectively, and now he has not got that kind of run in the side. When you think of what happened in England, everybody kept saying during the course of those five Test matches, 'Where is Kuldeep? Where is Kuldeep?' And Kuldeep didn't play; he was sitting out. So it's very important from that point of view. Now that Ravindra Jadeja is in the twilight of his career, is he the leader, or is it going to be someone else? Because it is, as you rightly said, very, very difficult," he said. Kuldeep Yadav's record under different captains: Stats across formats

Captain Span Matches Wickets Average Economy Strike Rate 5-wicket hauls Shikhar Dhawan 2021-22 7 10 25.50 5.52 27.7 0 MS Dhoni 2018 1 2 19.00 3.80 30.0 0 Virat Kohli 2017-21 75 140 25.34 5.12 29.6 4 Hardik Pandya 2022-23 11 15 17.06 4.83 21.2 0 Rishabh Pant 2025 1 4 40.75 3.95 61.7 0 Ajinkya Rahane 2017 1 4 22.75 3.25 42.0 0 KL Rahul 2022-25 10 22 23.95 4.60 31.2 1 Rohit Sharma 2017-25 62 116 20.92 4.57 27.4 2 Shubman Gill 2025-26 9 23 27.65 4.10 40.4 1 Suryakumar Yadav 2023-26 16 32 11.81 7.50 9.4 1 Kuldeep's Test record

Kuldeep has played 18 Tests for India and taken 79 wickets in 34 innings. He has a bowling average of 22.35, an economy rate of 3.53 and a strike rate of 37.9. He has taken four four-wicket hauls and five five-wicket hauls. His best innings figures are 5/40, while his best match figures are 8/113. Kuldeep has also been a successful limited-overs bowler. He has 194 wickets from 121 ODIs at an average of 27.04. In 54 T20Is, he has taken 95 wickets at an average of 13.74. India searching for their next spin leader

With Jadeja nearing the twilight of his career, Kartik believes India's spin attack is entering an important phase. "From a spin point of view, it is absolutely important because Ravindra Jadeja, as good as he has been for Indian cricket, is in the twilight of his career. So, from that point of view, Manav Suthar, the way he came in and the way he bowled against Afghanistan, was very heartwarming for any old-school spinner who has watched Indian cricket or knows Indian cricket. So, from that point of view, from a red-ball perspective, Manav Suthar is very important," Kartik said. Suthar has already given India reason to be hopeful. He took seven wickets on his Test debut against Afghanistan in June. Suthar is another option for India, but Kuldeep brings greater experience and has already shown that he can win matches with the ball. WTC adds to India's pressure

The series also comes at an important time in India's World Test Championship campaign. India are currently fifth in the WTC standings. They have won four and lost four of their nine matches, with one draw. Their points percentage is 48.15. Kartik believes India need to improve their recent Test record. "It is a crucial tour, very important not just from the point of view of the spinners alone but also the WTC, because if we are serious about Test cricket, we are at No. 5. Our fortunes haven't been great in red-ball cricket of late, which is well documented and everyone knows it," he said.

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