India need Kuldeep Yadav vs England: Vaughan suggests big change for semi-final

T20 World Cup: Michael Vaughan has urged India to consider playing Kuldeep Yadav against England in the T20 World Cup semi-final. The former England captain believes Kuldeep's record against England makes him a strong tactical option.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has suggested that India should consider bringing Kuldeep Yadav into their playing XI for the T20 World Cup semi-final against England, pointing to the wrist-spinner’s strong record against English batters.

India has largely stuck with a settled bowling combination throughout the tournament, relying on Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel as their main spin options, with Washington Sundar tried and shelved over the group stages. The spinners have given ample support to spearheads Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.

Kuldeep, however, has featured only once in the tournament so far. His lone appearance came against Pakistan, where he returned impressive figures of 1 for 14.

Speaking on CricBuzz, Vaughan said the left-arm wrist-spinner could be a valuable option against England’s batting line-up.

"I would play Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep, over the years, has had England on toast in any format. He has always been a bowler England have struggled to pick. Do you need Tilak Varma or Shivam Dube down the order? Instead, I would be playing the left-arm leg-spinner against this England batting lineup. We don't know if Kuldeep is in form as he hasn't played. But him against the England batters will be a good matchup for India," Vaughan said.

However, Vaughan also acknowledged that India may prefer to retain their current balance rather than make a late change before a knockout clash.