3 reasons India must play Kuldeep Yadav overseas more often

Kuldeep Yadav has long been one of India's most potent bowling options, yet questions persist about whether he is picked often enough when the team travels abroad. His numbers across formats suggest that the hesitation is difficult to justify on cricketing grounds.

The left-arm wrist-spinner is sometimes viewed as a bowler suited only "only for Indian pitches", but the evidence points in a different direction. A closer look at his overseas returns, his cross-format wicket-taking ability and the rarity of his skill set builds a strong case for more consistent selection away from home.

Here are three reasons India must play Kuldeep Yadav overseas more often:

1. Overseas returns that demand attention

In four overseas Tests, Kuldeep Yadav has taken 18 wickets at an average of 19.56 and a strike rate of 35.61 balls per wicket. Those are figures that most specialist pace bowlers would be satisfied with in away conditions, let alone a spinner. He also claimed two five-wicket hauls in those four matches, one of which was a return of 5 for 40. The small sample of four Tests means the numbers must be read with appropriate caution, but the consistency within that sample is hard to dismiss.

His ODI record away from home is equally compelling. Across 44 away ODIs, Kuldeep has taken 77 wickets at an average of 22.34. That volume of wickets at that cost, in conditions that typically favour seam and swing, underlines how effectively his wrist spin travels. In the South Africa vs India ODI series of 2025-26, he was India's leading wicket-taker with nine wickets, adding further recent evidence to the overseas case.