Kuldeep Yadav was once again ignored and he didn't get a place in the playing XI for the 2nd Test against England in Birmingham. The mystery spinner was expected to play his first Test since October 2024 but he was pipped by Washington Sundar. Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja are two spin-bowling all-rounders in India's playing XI for the 2nd Test match. A shocking stat about Kuldeep's absence emerged after he was ignored for the 2nd Test of the series against England.

Kuldeep and Morne Morkel, India's bowling coach, have played the same number of Test matches (13) since the spinner's debut. Kuldeep made his Test debut against Australia in the Dharamsala Test match in March 2017.

Interestingly, Morkel played his last 13 Tests within a span of a year while Kuldeep has played the same number of Tests in 8 years. The right-arm pacer retired from international cricket in March 2018. He finished his career with 86 Test caps.

As for Kuldeep, he played only 6 Tests from 2017 to 2019. He played one Test each in 2021 and 2022. He returned to the playing XI in 2024 and played 3 Tests against England. He played one Test against New Zealand in October 2024.

Kuldeep suffered an injury before the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and wasn't named in the squad. He returned for the England series but hasn't played a Test match in 2025.

While Kuldeep isn't a regular in Tests, he is India's lead spinner in white-ball cricket. The 30-year-old has played 113 ODIs and 40 T20Is. He was part of the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning team.

Meanwhile, Sundar leaked 73 runs in 14 overs he bowled in England's first innings of the Birmingham Test. He did score 42 off 103 balls but struggled with the ball. Ravindra Jadeja, India's first-choice all-rounder, also went wicketless. He scored 89 off 137 balls.