Kuldeep Yadav has kept working hard even without playing in England: Morne Morkel

India bowling coach Morne Morkel has revealed that left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been working hard on his bowling, despite not playing in the England series. Kuldeep didn’t play in a single match during the recent five-match series against England as India drew it 2-2.

The move was questioned by several experts, given Kuldeep’s past record against England. However, Morne Morkel has revealed that the wrist spinner took the snub professionally and is well aware of his preparations to make himself ready for T20 cricket.

"I think he’s a very professional athlete. Since the England series, even with limited game time, he has consistently put in the work and bowled a lot of overs. He knows what it takes to prepare himself for T20 cricket. All we can control are our training sessions—making sure they’re purposeful and goal-oriented. From there, it’s up to the players to go out and lead with the ball,” said Morkel in a press conference.

Kuldeep has a brilliant record in T20Is, having scalped 69 wickets in his career from 40 matches at an average of 14.07 with two five-wicket hauls to his name. He played a key role in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph with ten wickets from five innings at an average of 13.90 and an economy of 6.95.

The left-arm spinner will be expected to stem the runflow in the middle overs alongside Varun Chakravarthy as both spinners have the ability to leave batters dumbfounded with their variations. India start their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against UAE on September 10 before taking on arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14.

The Men in Blue are the defending Champions of the Asia Cup, having won the last edition of the tournament played in ODI format in 2023 under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.