Kuldeep Yadav hasn’t been treated well by Indian captains and coaches. He was not given chances by Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri, Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid, and now Gautam Gambhir is following the same trend. In fact, he has been dropped now and then across formats despite giving match-winning performances.

Kuldeep was benched for five Tests in the recently concluded series against England. He has a phenomenal track record in white-ball cricket and the longest format of the game, but there is no place for him on a regular basis.

Wasim Akram and Sanjay Manjrekar were surprised by how the decision-makers have treated the spinner over the years. Kuldeep took four wickets against the UAE as the Men in Blue dismissed the hosts for 57 runs in 13.1 overs. He was named the Player of the Match for his spell, with the Men in Blue registering a nine-wicket win.

Manjrekar jokingly said that Kuldeep would be dropped for the next match, considering what has happened with him in the past.

“Look at his track record across formats. His numbers are impressive. He would be dropped from the next match,” he said.

However, Manjrejkar soon realised that his joke could lead to controversy. “I know it won’t happen, and he will be a part of the playing XI,” he added.