Kuldeep Yadav was pulled from India’s starting XI shortly after earning the Player of the Match award in the first Test against Bangladesh in December 2022, when the KL Rahul-led team replaced him with left-arm bowler Jaydev Unadkat.
Many previous players found the decision needless, and Robin Uthappa has become the latest cricketer to speak on it, as well as stating that there is a feeling of uneasiness among Indian cricketers at the moment.
“Kuldeep was ‘Player of the Match’ in first Test against Bangladesh and he was out of the team for the next match; it doesn’t give (send) a good message.
Yes, you can explain things to Kuldeep once but this gives (sends) a wrong message to the young players that even after getting the ‘Player of the Match’, your place in the team is not assured,” Uthappa told PTI.
“I think there is a lack of sense of security among the players in the team. There have been constant changes in the team for a long time, when a player does not feel safe, he always remains with the mindset of saving his place in the team,” the former India international added.
Uthappa, a member of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2007, said that franchises such as the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have made minimal changes throughout the years, which is why they are the two most successful teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He feels that in order to win ICC titles, the Indian team should do the same.
According to Uthappa, it is critical to provide players with a feeling of security in order to bring out the best in them. He feels that there are too many changes taking place in Indian cricket, and that this has to alter in order for the team to achieve excellent outcomes.
