Once Ravichandran Ashwin withdrew from the tests, it seemed that Kuldeep Yadav will take the spin bowling coat. But nowhere is introduced as part of the Gambir test configuration.
During the fourth test in Manchester, Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel mentioned that the management had not been able to find a place for Kuldeep Yadav because of the cushion they wish in the strikers. However, after a work of bowling and management of the dull workload against Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, it looked like an obviousness for Gautam Gambir and Shubman Gill to add an X factor in their bowling alley through Kuldeep Yadav.
Kuldeep Yadav to be bench again
But, unfortunately, for the wrist of the left arm, his long tour in England will go without playing time. Unlike the previous reports which mentioned that India could play Kuldeep during the fifth test, new developments have arrived. According to CricBlogger, Team India will make three changes for the oval test, but Kuldeep will not be one of them.
Despite unhappy injuries to Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep (High Niggle) and Arshdeep Singh (unavailable for the 4th test), India excluded Kuldeep from their plans. They flew to ApuiHul Kamboj, who made a poor debut and also brought Shardul Thakur, who was the most underused bowling player in India.
What is India’s obsession for Thakur?
Obviously, Shubman Gill does not have enough confidence in Thakur’s abilities, but still according to reports, notably Espncricinfo, Thakur will play the oval test. The reason? Well, this is India’s obsession for additional strikers. Thakur is perceived as offering more stability with the bat compared to Kuldeep.
While Thakur may have found decent blows, you cannot expect a 50 of him every time he beats. In addition, after a formidable battery beat demonstration shown by Ravira Jadeja and Washington Sundar, the team should have confidence in the stick resources that they do not have in place include a much more reliable bowling option, Kuldeep being an example.
In the three sleeves that Thakur played, he only delivered 27 overs, taking two counters at 72.00. These are ordinary numbers for a player who keeps Kuldeep out of the side. Many fans and experts have often highlighted their desire to see Kuldeep play. Nicknamed an X-Factor spinner, Kuldeep could be a real flare holder, in particular against aggressive English strikers. When England visited India in February 2024, Kuldeep played with 19 counters in eight rounds.
Indian team for the oval test
Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kl Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravirand Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sunndar Yadav, Anshul Kamboj, Narayan Jagadeesan (WK).
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