Kuldeep Yadav, the chinaman bowler -- once tipped to be the next big thing in the India spin ecosystem -- failed to make it to the Indian playing XI for the first Test against England in Chennai despite an eleventh hour injury to Axar Patel.
He last played a Test match for India in January 2019, when he took five wickets against Australia at the SCG. And when yesterday he was ignored in favour of Shahbaz Nadeem, his fans on twitter didn’t take it too kindly. They were quick to evoke their inner Mirzapur, Bhabhi ji Ghar Par Hain and Big Boss Fans to question his exclusion.
On the match eve, Indian captain Virat Kohli had offered a ray of hope to Yadav when he said, “Virat Kohli: "It's a delicate balance you need to have (handling someone like Kuldeep Yadav who hasn't had much game-time). Now that the home season has started, he’ll be in the scheme of things. We do try to give goals to every player. He has worked on certain areas.”
But when the team was announced, it was Nadeem and not Yadav who had made the cut. @GabbbarSingh tweeted: Shahbaz Nadeem in place of Kuldeep Yadav. Kolly institute of team selection is back. :), while @BoredCricket wrote, When Kuldeep Yadav plays his 7th Test match, a debutant should present him with his cap. Take a look at some of the posts:
