Mayank Yadav takes five wickets in SMAT match for Delhi against Jammu and Kashmir

Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav faced a limited amount of playing time during his tour to New Zealand, being excluded from the starting lineup throughout the tour. Although he was given the opportunity to be in the squad across all three formats, he could not play a single match in the T20 series, and in four ODI matches, he participated in only one.

Furthermore, he was excluded from the Test team. Questions arose regarding his chances of receiving more playing time.

In the fourth ODI match against New Zealand, Kuldeep Yadav got a chance, but he failed to take any wickets and did not provide economical bowling, conceding 73 runs in 8 overs and remaining wicketless.

After this match, when questioned about his constant absence from the squad, the Indian team's head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that Kuldeep had already been given enough opportunities.

Gambhir emphasized that during overseas tours, playing time is always limited, but players must maximize any chances provided to them. He refuted the claim that he was not given sufficient playing time, noting that he participated in three ODI matches against the West Indies.

The coach also explained that in places like New Zealand, squad selection depends on conditions and the pitch, sometimes requiring three, and sometimes four fast bowlers. The Indian team followed this tactic when forming the starting lineup.

According to Gambhir, in international cricket, players should try to maintain their form most of the time, and this applies to batsmen as well. One cannot constantly complain about a lack of playing time. Gambhir believes that Kuldeep has been given many chances, and when the team gives him an opportunity, he is used as an attacking spinner.

Kuldeep Yadav has played only two Tests by 2026, one against Afghanistan and the other against Sri Lanka. Even in the two-match series against Sri Lanka, he was left out of one match. After being dropped from the Test team on the New Zealand tour, he has a chance to play in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia next year.

Nevertheless, Kuldeep's performance in India in 2025 was outstanding: he took 20 wickets in four played Tests. In the five-match series against England in 2024, he managed to play in four games.

However, in the home Test series against New Zealand in October-November 2024, he was allowed to play in only one of the three matches held in Bangalore. After this, he was excluded from the starting lineup and from pitches favorable to spinners in Pune and Mumbai.

Kuldeep Yadav debuted in Tests in 2017 and has played 19 matches for India so far, taking 80 wickets. In his early years, he lacked regular time due to the presence of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Nevertheless, every time he was given a chance, he made an impact. In his debut match in Darmstadt against Australia, he took four wickets, and in Palakkad against Sri Lanka in August 2017, five wickets. Later, in Sydney in January 2019, he also took five wickets.

The then Indian team coach Ravi Shastri called him the best spinner in India in overseas conditions. However, after this statement, Kuldeep did not play Tests outside Asia.

Even after Ashwin's resignation in 2024, Kuldeep managed to play only six Tests. In the five-match series against England in 2025, he remained on the bench. Furthermore, in conditions favorable to spinners, India preferred Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.

In the home Test series against the West Indies in 2025, Kuldeep took 12 wickets, and against South Africa, eight. In the single match against Afghanistan, he took three, and in one match against Sri Lanka, one wicket.

In ODI format, Kuldeep Yadav also does not receive consistent chances. Out of 16 ODI matches played by the Indian team by 2026, he was allowed to participate in only eight. On the tour to New Zealand, he played in only one of four matches, and in the home series against Afghanistan, in one of three. Moreover, he was absent from the entire series against England.

Conversely, in home ODI series against New Zealand and the West Indies, he was given the opportunity to play in all matches. Against New Zealand, he took three, and against the West Indies, seven wickets.

Kuldeep debuted in ODIs in 2017, and since then, no one else has taken more wickets in this format. He has 201 wickets in 125 ODIs with an average of 27.29.

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2026-27 season began on Saturday, November 14th. In the first match of the current season, the Mumbai team played against Hyderabad. The match, held at the Jadavpur University Campus Second Stadium in Kolkata, was part of Group A Elite Group D. Mumbai defeated Hyderabad by seven wickets.

Mumbai reached a target of 173 runs, which they managed to achieve in just 13.1 overs. Captain Suryakumar Yadav played a key role in the team's victory. He demonstrated an impressive performance, scoring a half-century in only 15 balls. Suryakumar played an unbeaten innings of 60 runs off 21 balls, which included five sixes and six fours.

Suryakumar Yadav received excellent support from Mushir Khan. Mushir and Surya formed a partnership of 65 runs for the third wicket. Mushir scored 51 runs off 24 balls, using six fours and three sixes.

Shivam Dube contributed in both batting and bowling. He scored an unbeaten 13 runs off just five balls. Previously, during four overs of bowling, he took two wickets, conceding 31 runs.

Hyderabad, having lost the toss and starting as batters, scored 172 runs in 20 overs. Abir Reddy made the biggest contribution, scoring 35 runs. Additionally, Kodimela Himteja (25 runs) and Chama Milind (22 runs) played useful innings. Maxwell Srinivasan took three of Mumbai's most valuable wickets.

The Mumbai playing XI included: Ankrish Raguvanshi, Sairaj Patil, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Hardik Tamore (wicketkeeper), Mushir Khan, Shardul Thakur, Sarfaraz Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Atver Ankolkar, and Maxwell Srinivasan. The Hyderabad playing XI included: Aman Rao Perala, Tanmay Agrawal, Abir Reddy, Kodimela Himteja, Bhaves Seth (wicketkeeper), Chama Milind (captain), Tanay Thyagarajan, Pranav Verma, Ved Reddy, Ajay Dev Gaud, and Chintala Rakshan Reddy.

The Indian team won the five-match T20 series against New Zealand with a score of 3-2. Although the Indian team lost the fifth and final match, which took place at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday (November 1st), the celebration of the victory took an unusual turn.

During the trophy presentation ceremony after the match, India's captain Shreyas Iyer accepted the trophy but then passed it to the young all-rounder Naman Dheer. Following this, the entire team took joint photographs with the trophy, and Iyer's gesture caused a wide resonance.

The 26-year-old Naman Dheer effectively utilized the opportunities given to him in this series. This all-rounder from Mumbai Indians (MI) made a significant contribution to India's game by batting in the lower order. He became the second-highest run-scorer for the Indian team in this T20 series.

Although Naman Dheer did not get many opportunities to play as a bowler, his batting successes attracted the attention of the team management. He managed to demonstrate his usefulness even with experienced players like Shivam Dube present.

This approach by Shreyas Iyer recalls the traditions established by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shubman Gill. These captains previously allowed young players the opportunity to celebrate the victory with the trophy. It should be noted that Dhoni was the one who started the tradition of passing the trophy to young players, and subsequent Indian captains continued this practice.

India already gained an undeniable advantage in the series. Despite New Zealand managing to achieve their goal in the fifth match by stopping India at 191/8, they could not win the series, and this moment became unforgettable for Naman Dheer during India's victory celebration.