 "Trott, experts slam Gill and Gambhir over Kuldeep's exclusion as Indians struggle in Manchester: 'I find it astounding...'")
India find themselves struggling in what is a must-win fourth Test against England in Manchester, if they are to fly out of the United Kingdom with the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in their check-in luggage. Not only were they bowled out for 358 after England captain Ben Stokes won a fourth consecutive toss and opted to field, they find themselves facing the prospect of starting their second innings with a massive deficit, with the hosts on the verge of eclipsing their total with plenty of wickets in hand.
England’s domination of the Indian bowling unit over the course of the last 24 hours has put the spotlight on the absence of a certain individual – Kuldeep Yadav. There have been plenty of calls for the inclusion of the left-arm wrist spinner since the outset of the five-Test series, from batting icon Sunil Gavaskar to spin legends Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.
Kuldeep, however, has remained sidelined throughout the tour, with India captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir preferring all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar in order to lengthen the batting lineup rather than a frontline spinner in Kuldeep.
Trott slams absence of frontline spinner in Kuldeep
And on Day 3 of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, with England having cruised to 332/2 at lunch with the Indian pacers hardly making an impact on a wicket where Stokes and Jofra Archer shared eight wickets between them, former England batter Jonathan Trott renewed discussion on Kuldeep’s continued exclusion from the Indian XI.
“I find it astounding that they don’t have the exact bowling lineup that can get them 20 wickets in the much…it makes Jasprit Bumrah’s job that much harder, without a frontline spinner,” Trott said on JioHotstar during the lunch interval.
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View AllThe South African-born former England batter wasn’t alone in criticising the Indian team management’s treatment of Kuldeep as several experts and fans pointed out the same on social media.
Here are select reactions:
By the time india realise the importance of Kuldeep Yadav rather than strengthening their batting , unfortunately series will be over.
— Prasanna (@prasannalara) July 25, 2025
66 overs into England's innings and Shardul and Washington (despite his performance at Lord's) have bowled six overs between them.
— Tim Wigmore (@timwig) July 25, 2025
India's conservative team selection - over-valuing lower order runs, and ignoring Kuldeep Yadav as a result - has really helped England.
Hard to be sure, but I think England might be happy Kamboj is playing and Kuldeep isn't
— Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) July 25, 2025
Indian test cricket is becoming joke with weird selections. Kuldeep Yadav is sitting outside, Arshdeep didn't play in Australia n England, Shami is missing. How can you expect to win with part time bowlers? Someone's ego is destroying this team #INDvsEND
— CA Anurag Sharma (@caanuragwriter) July 25, 2025
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