New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden believes left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav could turn out to be a bowler who would pick 20 wickets for India during their Test series against England, starting on June 20 in Leeds.

With Ravichandran Ashwin retiring from international cricket, it means there’s an opening for Kuldeep to play Tests consistently in England. Moreover, his left-arm wrist-spin variation means he brings in the X-factor to India’s bowling line-up. So far, Kuldeep has played only 13 Tests and picked 56 wickets.

“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 on the sidelines of the Australian Summer of Cricket 2025/26 launch.

Before the India-England Test series takes centrestage, Australia and South Africa will lock horns in the ICC World Test Championship final clash at Lord’s from June 11-15. Hayden also feels Australia’s bowling attack is superior, citing their dominance in that department during the 2023-25 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. 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.

–IANS

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