Fact Check: Has former India captain Kapil Dev criticized India for not playing Kuldeep Yadav in England tests?

Kuldeep Yadav, despite making his test debut in 2017, has made only 13 appearances in whites for India.

The Indian Cricket Team suffered a close 22-run loss in third test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 against England at the Lord’s. Indian batting flopped, barring KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, who, with the tailenders, tried to script a miracle.

One of the focal points in analysis after the loss was the absence of a quality spinner in the Indian playing XI, especially seeing that the Lord’s pitch deteriorated at an alarming pace on day 4 and 5. Even Washington Sundar picked four wickets in England’s second innings, including those of Ben Stokes and Joe Root.

Following conclusion of the third test between England and India at the Lord’s, many former cricketers opined on the same. Some even suggested India’s team management to make some changes to the playing XI.

Amidst all this, a news piece on Times Now went viral claiming former India captain Kapil Dev isn’t happy with the Indian side on not including Kuldeep Yadav in their playing XI for the first three tests against England. Times Now quoted Kapil Dev and further mentioned IANS as original source of the statement.

“Kuldeep not playing doesn’t seem to hold much value in the current context, because Team India has been playing well. In the third Test, many expected him to feature, but the fast bowlers did the job and picked up wickets. Kuldeep Yadav is in top form right now. He was lethal during the ODI World Cup and bowled brilliantly throughout the tournament. Not playing him at the right moments has cost India heavily. In the recent matches, it’s the batters who have failed, not the bowlers,” said Kapil Dev, according to Times Now.

Since making his debut in March 2017, Kuldeep has played only 13 tests, but his record in them is more than impressive: 56 wickets at an average of 22.16, including four five-wicket hauls.

Was it really former India captain Kapil Dev who slammed India for benching Kuldeep Yadav?

After Times Now’s article went viral on the internet, we did a reverse-check and found out that it wasn’t former Indian captain Kapil Dev who made the statement, but it was Kapil Dev Pandey, Kuldeep Yadav’s childhood coach, who made the statement.

The original story, which was an exclusive story by IANS, was an interview with the Indian leg-spinner’s childhood coach, Kapil Dev Pandey. Many other news websites also published the same news, but attributed the quotes to Kuldeep’s childhood coach instead of the former Indian captain, Kapil Dev.

Conclusion: The article published by Times Now, claimed as Kapil Dev’s statement on Kuldeep Yadav is misrepresented.

Meanwhile, Kapil Dev Pandey stated that India have wrongly focused only on batting in the ongoing tour and that someone like Kuldeep Yadav or Jasprit Bumrah can’t score 100 runs, but they can take wickets.

Kapil further revealed that he has personally spoken to Kuldeep and encouraged him to stay prepared for any opportunity that may arise.

“I’ve spoken to Kuldeep recently, and I told him to stay fit and be ready to deliver whenever given a chance. All we can do is hope—the final decision lies with the coach and the captain. But there’s no doubt that Kuldeep is currently one of the finest and most senior spinners in the country.

Yes, his morale is high, but deep down he must also be wondering when he’ll get his chance—after all, he’s only human. He can be a crucial asset for Team India in Manchester. I spoke to him; he’s focused,” Kapil Dev Pandey concluded.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.