LONDON, ENGLAND — Sourav Ganguly, who used to be the captain of India, has publicly said that he is worried with the team’s selection plan in the current Test series against England. He has especially pointed out that wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has not been picked for any of the matches. Ganguly told head coach Gautam Gambhir and the team management on Thursday, July 31, 2025, how important it is to have a bowler of Kuldeep’s particular caliber in the Test arena.
Many people thought that Kuldeep would finally get his chance in the fifth and final Test at The Oval, but India chose to stick with their usual mix of two spinners (Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar) and three fast bowlers. Even though cricket experts strongly supported Kuldeep throughout the five-match series, this decision means he has stayed on the bench the whole time.
Experts have always said that Kuldeep is a great wicket-taker and that his left-arm wrist-spin is a unique threat to batsmen. He has a remarkable Test record of 56 wickets in just 13 matches, with an average of 22.16 and four five-wicket hauls. But since Gautam Gambhir is said to prefer having more batsmen in the playing XI across formats, Kuldeep, whose Test batting average is 13.27, has always been passed over in favor of spin-bowling all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja (Test batting average 37.86, 330 wickets) and Washington Sundar (Test batting average 44.87, 32 wickets), who both offer more with the bat.
“I believe England chose four fast bowlers. I think they left some grass on the wicket on purpose. India has had good spinners in the past, such Jadeja and Ashwin. I truly wish Kuldeep had played in Birmingham, Manchester, and even at Lord’s. Ganguly said India Today, “It’s hard to bowl a team out on Day 5 without good spin.” He compared this to England’s problems with bowling in the series. “We witnessed what occurred when India batted—England didn’t have a top-class spinner in their attack, so they couldn’t get any wickets. In the past, teams had excellent spinners like Warne, Muralitharan, Swann and Panesar from England, and even our own Harbhajan and Kumble. India needs to keep working with Kuldeep. “He’s very important for our future.”
Kamboj and Mukesh Kumar are not here, so please be patient. Surprising
Ganguly also told the Indian team management to be more patient with rookie fast bowler Anshul Kamboj, in addition to the spin problem. Kamboj made his Test debut in the fourth Test in Manchester when a lot of injuries rocked the Indian pace attack. He was dropped for The Oval Test after taking only one wicket. Kamboj had a great record in India, with 79 wickets in 24 first-class games. He even got 10 wickets in one innings during the Ranji Trophy, which is very rare.
“Don’t judge Anshul Kamboj on just one Test match.” He is a young boy who has gotten a lot of wickets in domestic cricket. Ganguly said, “We need to judge players over five, six, or even eight Tests before making judgments.”
The former captain, on the other hand, was surprised that Mukesh Kumar, another strong player from India, was still not on the national team, especially in red-ball cricket. Mukesh last played for India in the home Test series against England in February 2024. He has only played in three Tests for India, taking seven wickets at an average of 25.57. He has an amazing first-class domestic record, with 207 wickets in 59 matches at an average of 21.42.
“That said, I’ll be honest—I’m surprised not to see Mukesh Kumar in the national squad, especially in red-ball cricket. His stats at home are amazing, and these conditions would have been great for his style of bowling. Ganguly ended by saying, “Hopefully, he’ll get his chance soon.” This showed that he thought India’s team selection needed to better reflect domestic performances and long-term strategic planning, especially when it comes to specialized bowlers who can win matches.