‘He is world class. But unfortunately…’: India’s bowling coach finally opens up on why Kuldeep Yadav is snubbed

India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel has finally spoken about why Kuldeep Yadav has not played a single Test in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. India and England are currently engaged in a five-match Test series, and Kuldeep, despite being a part of the squad from the beginning, has not gotten a single game.

Fans and experts have been asking why such a talented bowler is sitting out. Morkel said the decision is not about Kuldeep’s ability but about keeping the team balanced. Morkel was speaking after Indian bowlers were hammered badly by English batters in the fourth Test at Manchester.

Morkel on why Kuldeep is not playing

Morkel admitted that Kuldeep is “world class” and bowling really well at the moment, but he also pointed out that India have sometimes lost wickets in clusters and they need more depth in batting. He said that adding Kuldeep to the playing XI could affect that balance of the side.

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“I think it’s about finding when he comes in, how we can keep the balance and make the batting line-up a little bit longer and stronger. We’re trying our best to find ways for him to get in. But unfortunately, just to balance with batting throws it out a little bit,” Morkel said.

Meanwhile, Morkel also said that managing the workload of Indian bowlers can be an issue, especially after an Indian Premier League (IPL) season. India have lost Akash Deep to injury after just two matches and Arshdeep Singh also suffered an injury while training.

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“It’s a real test. We play three Test match series a lot and this is now our first time in a while we’ve done this with five. It shouldn’t be excused, but in terms of conditioning, getting our guys conditioned and getting them ready for five Test series coming straight up after IPL, is sometimes an issue,” Morkel said in the post-day press conference.

“… because you have to balance between Test matches, getting these guys a good amount of recovery time to also keep their bowling loads up. And that’s why it’s important for us to look at the future and get a good core of five, six bowlers that we can replace and these guys can come in and they can do the job. But at the moment, there’s not a lot of experience with the ball.

“We’ve got Siraj, we’ve got Bumrah who has played a handful in the first, and then Akash has played a little bit, but he’s out injured. So, we keep on finding ways to bring new guys.

“So it is not easy at the moment. This is just a phase that we need now to work through and get these guys stronger, to last for the rest of the Test matches,” said Morkel.

India are currently down and almost out in the fourth Test. If they lose this match, the Shubman Gill-led side will no longer be able to make a comeback in the series. India had a chance to win their first Test series in England in more than 18 years; however, it now appears that the team may have squandered the opportunity.