Matthew Hayden reveals India’s key player for England tour

Former Australian cricketer and commentator Matthew Hayden has stated that the Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav could be a key player for Team India on the England tour, scheduled to start on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds.

Kuldeep is expected to be India’s second lead spinner beside Ravindra Jadeja in the playing XI. To make things more interesting, Kuldeep has played only one game in England so far, before moving into this new WTC 2025-27 Cycle.

Speaking at the launch of the Australian Summer of Cricket 2025-26, Hayden asserted that he is eagerly waiting to see what Team India brings to England. He added that the five-match Test series will be a big test for the young Indian team.

“Looking ahead, I’m really curious about what India brings to England. Five Tests — that’s a tough, character-testing series. We discussed it earlier — someone like Kuldeep Yadav could be a key 20-wicket bowler for them. We’ve had the advantage of Lyon’s consistency, and his absence in the last Ashes showed the impact of losing a reliable spinner. The best teams, through every era, have always had one thing in common — stability,” said Hayden.

Moreover, he also spoke about Australia’s chances in the upcoming Australia vs South Africa WTC Final, scheduled to start on June 11 at Lord’s in London. He stated that his national team has been a dominant force during this WTC cycle.

“We’ve still got a core group in the side, but it’s starting to shift in some ways. How long is Steve Smith going to play or Usman Khawaja going to continue? These are the characters sitting in that space — one that Stephen (Steve Waugh) and I have been in, and Virat’s been in as well,” he stated.

"We’ve all faced that challenge where you realise maybe it’s time to move on. But for this cycle, Australia has been a very dominant team. I base that largely on the fact that you need to take 20 wickets to win a Test — and this team has a world-class pace trio, much like in Stephen’s (Steve Waugh’s) era. They also have a world-class spinner, and I’m sure we all appreciate the skill of Nathan Lyon. That’s been such a key part of how Australian teams are built,” he concluded.

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