Kuldeep Yadav Poised for Asia Cup Comeback After Test Omission, Says Former India Spinner

Former India spinner Amit Mishra believes that left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav will feature in India's playing XI in the Asia Cup 2025. Kuldeep, who last played a T20I match in the final of the T20 World Cup, has mostly spent his time on the bench in high-profile series since then.

Despite being snubbed for the entirety of the Test series against England, Amit Mishra believes that Kuldeep will get a chance in the continental tournament, where India will take on Pakistan, UAE, and Oman in the group stage of the tournament.

Speaking to ANI, Mishra said that when Kuldeep does get a chance to play, he should focus on being as aggressive as possible instead of bowling defensively.

"I think he should get a chance, but the most important thing is that he should focus on his natural ball. He is a wicket-taking bowler. He should keep his mind right. He should talk to people like Gautam and the captain about the kind of field he wants and how to bowl. I think he will get a chance here," Mishra told ANI.

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While Kuldeep has not played a single T20I in over a year, he was a firm part of Delhi Capitals' plans in the Indian Premier League. Kuldeep played 14 games in the 2025 season and picked up 15 wickets at a miserly economy of 7.08.

Since returning from England, Kuldeep played one Duleep Trophy game but did not pick up a single wicket in two innings against North East Zone.

"He is a good talent, but he should remember that he is a wicket-taking bowler. He should focus on the wicket and not on how many sixes or fours he is conceding. According to the wicket and the situation, the bowling can change. You should always think about the wicket. You should think about the field and how to bowl. He will get a lot of help from that," Mishra concluded on the matter.

India have carried a variety of spinners in their Asia Cup squad. Varun Chakravarthy is an assurity in the line-up. He will either be supported by Kuldeep Yadav or Axar Patel in the line-up.

India's Squad for Asia Cup

Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

Reserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal.