‘Not easy to sit out’: Shardul backs Kuldeep, Easwaran after missing England Test series

admin — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 21:54:00 +0000

India’s Shardul Thakur on day two of the fourth test cricket match between India and England, at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground, in Manchester, Thursday, July 24, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

After the conclusion of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 between England and India, which ended in 2-2 draw, all-rounder Shardul Thakur reflected on the disappointment of his teammates, spinner Kuldeep Yadav and opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, who did not get a chance to play in the five-Test series.

Kuldeep Yadav has not featured in Test cricket since the first Test against New Zealand in October 2024.

Since his debut in the longest format of the game in 2017, he has played just 13 games, taking 56 scalps at an average of 22.16 and four five-wicket hauls.

The decision not to play Kuldeep has attracted criticism as he is a wicket-taking spin bowler, as suggested by his strike rate of 37.3, which is the highest among all spin bowlers with at least 50 Test wickets.

In 13 matches, he has taken 56 wickets, with four five-wicket hauls. Easwaran, meanwhile, has been a domestic cricket stalwart for Bengal, with 101 first-class games, 7,674 runs at an average of 48.87, 27 centuries and 29 fifties behind him.

Yet, he continues to wait for his Test debut. Speaking to Boria Majumdar on Revsportz, Shardul said, “On a few occasions, I was also in the same boat. As a player, you go through a lot of emotions, and it’s not easy to sit out, questioning yourself about what you are doing, not getting a game. There are two things. As I mentioned earlier, not everyone is privileged enough to be on the Indian side. The second thing is, unfortunately, the competition is high in India, and only 11 of them get to be a part of the actual playing team.”

He added, “We need to understand that this is likely the best 11 that management is considering, based on the pitch and weather conditions. You’ll have to tell your mind that this was not my game, and it’s also a lot to be able to travel with the team and share the dressing room with the rest. I don’t have many answers to this one, but one just needs to wait around for that one chance.”

Both Kuldeep and Eswaran are expected to feature next in the 2025 edition of the Duleep Trophy, with Kuldeep playing for Central Zone and Easwaran for East Zone.

Published – August 19, 2025 03:24 am IST

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Border-Gavaskar trophy: Pacer Harshit Rana, all-rounder Nitish Reddy in Team India squad

admin — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 17:14:33 +0000

Harshit Rana has been selected for the India’s tour of Australia for the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Delhi speedster Harshit Rana and Andhra seam bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy have earned maiden call-up in the 18-member Indian team led by Rohit Sharma for the upcoming five-Test series against Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

There is no Mohammed Shami in the squad while Kuldeep Yadav has been advised long term rehabilitation for his groin injury.

From the squad picked for New Zealand series, Axar Patel has been dropped and Washington Sundar with 11 wickets in his kitty so far in the ongoing Test in Pune.

For the South Africa T20I series, Karnataka seamer Vyshak Vijaykumar and Punjab batter Ramandeep Singh have been included while express pacer Mayank Yadav has again got injured. He is at Centre of Excellence for recuperation.

India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy:

Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed.

The schedule: November 22 to 26 (Perth); December 6 to 10 (Adelaide); December 14 to 18 (Brisbane); December 26 to 30 (Melbourne); January 3 to 7 (Sydney).

India’s squad for 4 T20Is against South Africa:

Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.

The schedule: November 8 (Durban), 10 (Gqeberha), 13 (Centurion) and 15 (Johannesburg).

Published – October 25, 2024 10:44 pm IST

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Abhimanyu Easwaran – Artifex.News

‘Not easy to sit out’: Shardul backs Kuldeep, Easwaran after missing England Test series

Border-Gavaskar trophy: Pacer Harshit Rana, all-rounder Nitish Reddy in Team India squad

India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy:

India’s squad for 4 T20Is against South Africa: