Gargi Raut in Leeds
We are witnessing one of the biggest, most important transitions in the history of Indian Test cricket. With Shubman Gill at the helm, leading a fairly inexperienced side, battling it out in English conditions.
India pushed the home team till the final session and while many will look back on the match as an aberration—considering the sheer amount of dropped catches, misfields and wayward bowling, there are still some positives to look back on.
But in hindsight, did India play their best XI? Looking at Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling and the turn he was extracting from the surface, did India miss a trick by not including Kuldeep Yadav in the team? The two spinners could have bowled in tandem, forming a crucial bowling partnership that would result in pressure being put back onto the opposition.
Also Read England v India, 2025: Shardul or Nitish for Edgbaston Test?
It is also to be mentioned that the England batters have had an issue or two versus wrist spinners. The tail had wagged during the second half of the final day and someone like Kuldeep could have troubled the batters, ultimately leading to breakthroughs. Many cricket pundits, ahead of the series believed that Kuldeep could be the trump card for the series, yet the spinner was left out of the XI. If anything, the biggest positive from the first match will be that the Indian team can now focus on playing a specialist bowler since the top order has stood up to the England challenge. India would no longer want an extra cushion in the batting department and look to change someone like Shardul Thakur with Kuldeep.
As India regroups ahead of the next Test, the exclusion of Kuldeep will remain a talking point. Not just as a missed opportunity, but as a tactical oversight in conditions that began to favour spin late into the game. With the top order showing resilience and the need for wicket-taking options becoming ever more urgent in crunch moments, it might be time for India to rethink balance over batting depth. Kuldeep, with his unique skill set and ability to break partnerships, could well be the X-factor India needs as the series unfolds.