'He will be a vital cog in the wheel for the Asia Cup.'
Ravi Shastri has thrown his weight behind Kuldeep Yadav's inclusion in the playing XI for Asia Cup 2025.
The mystery spinner, sidelined during the recent England Test series, is back in the T20I squad for the eight nation event. The big question whether Skipper Suryakumar Yadav will field both wrist-spinners Kuldeep and Varun Chakravarthy together.
Speaking to The Times of India newspaper, Shastri said Kuldeep is at the peak of his powers and must play a central role in India's campaign.
Highlighting the spinner's 15 wickets from 13 matches in IPL 2025, Shastri praised his form and lamented his absence in England.
'If you have two wrist spinners of that quality, I would love to have them in my side. I think Kuldeep is at his peak now. He did extremely well in IPL, and unfortunately couldn't make it to the team for the Tests in England because of the strength India have and the conditions. But he will be a vital cog in the wheel for the Asia Cup and going forward with Varun and Axar (Patel),' Shastri said.
Kuldeep's last T20I appearance came in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa, before injury during the New Zealand Test series sidelined him for months.
He returned in IPL 2025 and immediately made an impact.
With 69 T20I wickets already to his name, the spotlight now shifts to how SKY balances his spin resources -- Kuldeep, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel -- in a tournament where variety in attack could prove decisive.