Michael Clarke: 'Kuldeep Yadav Could've Helped India Take 20 Wickets But...'

Sports Cricket

Posted by AI on 2025-08-09 06:39:57 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-06-14 10:56:08

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Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has criticized the Indian team selection, claiming that playing Kuldeep Yadav could have helped them achieve a 20-wicket haul in the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

The recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy saw a gripping contest between India and England, with the hosts winning by seven wickets to reclaim the trophy. However, the talking point of the match was the English batsmen's dominance over the Indian bowling attack, withcaptain Joe Root and opener Johnny Bairstow scoring crucial centuries.

Speaking on the Sony Sports network, Clarke criticized the Indian team management for not playing with Kuldeep Yadav, who he believed could have made a big difference for India. He believed that the English batsmen were struggling with the spin, and the Indian team management missed a trick by not playing Kuldeep, who could have helped them take 20 wickets.

He argued that:

"If I was an Indian fan, I would have been crying out for Kuldeep Yadav to be playing in this game. Just watching how much trouble the England players have been having with Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin, I think Kuldeep could have been incredibly dangerous in this game and could have got some crucial wickets".

Clarke's comments highlight the growing importance of wrist spin in world cricket, with Kuldeep ranked as the world's number one bowler in ODIs last year.

The 37-year-old further added that "India had the chance to bowl England out for 160-170, but they didn't take their chances and allowed them to post 338, which was always going to be a big total on that pitch".

The commentary box was also critical of the Indian bowling attack, with former Indian opener Aakash Chopra commenting that "the nature of the pitch slowed down, the dryness of the pitch increased, and the ball started keeping low, but these things happen when you are bowling to quality batsmen".

Former English captain Nasser Hussain also criticized the Indian bowlers, stating that "the way Bumrah, Shami and Yadav bowled in the first 10 overs, it looked like they would run through the England batting line-up, but then just seemed to lose momentum and the England batsmen dominated them".

While India will look to regroup and come back in the upcoming tests, Clarke's comments have sparked a debate on whether the Indian team management could have better utilized their resources against a quality opposition.

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