Team India was in ascendancy. They had five centuries, with batters scoring 763/7 spread across two innings. The rest of the 72 runs in the match cost India 13 wickets. Jasprit Bumrah, whose workload management has cut short two Tests for him, mustered a five-wicket haul. Yet, England grabbed the Test match with rather ease on Day 5. After all, they had India’s lacklustre bowling to thank. Now, going forward, Shubman Gill needs an X-factor, and that could very well be Kuldeep Yadav.
Cricket 13 mins What ails the Indian Test team?Lack of support for Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah has been India’s lone warrior. Ever since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), it has been Bumrah or nothing for India. Since November last year, Bumrah has picked up 37 wickets at an average of just over 14. The other pacers? Well, they have taken just 52 wickets in this time frame, that too, at an average of around 40. The gulf is huge.
Hence, the need for another wicket-taking option is must. Ideally, the load should’ve been shared by another pacer. But Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna haven’t been ideal. This is where Kuldeep Yadav comes in. Ever since Kuldeep made his return after his surgery, Kuldeep has been India’s most improved spinner. Across formats, he has left his mark. Think about India’s home Test series against England, where he racked up 18 wickets in four Tests.
Why is Kuldeep a perfect choice?
For the first time, India will be without three of their stalwarts. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (almost) together, while Ravichandran Ashwin bid adieu during the high-profile Australia-India Tests last year. While the Indian batting unit is set for an overhaul, the Indian bowling will see a massive hole without Ashwin, who was perhaps the greatest spinner for the country after Anil Kumble.
But the world doesn’t end. Now, someone like Kuldeep Yadav has to take the burden. With his guile and effectively acting as a wicket-taking option, the Gautam Gambhir-led think tank shouldn’t miss out on him. Ravindra Jadeja is the lone spinner currently, but let’s face it – he’s a defensive option. In the last four years, Jadeja has averaged just 56 in SENA countries with the ball. Even in the fourth innings in Leeds, Jajeja took a long time to adjust his line according to the rough patches.
“I think Kuldeep Yadav has to come back. I’m sorry to say, but Shardul Thakur has to go out. That is one change India will have to make. If that means playing two spinners, so be it. Pick your best bowlers, irrespective of the conditions. You don’t have the luxury of someone like Mohammed Shami available or the full-strength pace battery, so I’d go one seamer short and bring Kuldeep Yadav into the XI. He has to play,” this is what Sanjay Manjrekar said while speaking to JioHotstar.
Manjrekar isn’t shy about dropping a seamer in favour of including Kuldeep, who can be a true wicket-taker in any conditions. The Leeds loss is a bitter pill to swallow, but India shouldn’t pay heed to the perception that seamers get you wickets overseas. You need threatening bowlers more than erratic pacers. The last time Kuldeep played a Test, he took a three-wicket haul.
Most wickets for India since Dec 2022
PlayerInningsOversWicketsBBIAverageSR5wRavindra Jadeja77938.01277/4225.7244.36Kuldeep Yadav67547.21185/1720.7427.84Ravi Ashwin41719.51007/7123.4743.17Axar Patel69469.5724/7728.6539.10Washington Sundar42248.5577/5919.1526.11Only spinners includedHere’s why Shubman Gill needs to bring in Kuldeep Yadav for ENG vs IND 2nd Test Inside Sport India.
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