Follow UsFormer India leg-spinner, Test skipper and head coach Anil Kumble expressed strong dissatisfaction with the way the Indian national team’s playing XI was selected for the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
He particularly highlighted concerns about the batting order and balance of the side as the team went with four spinners and two pacers. Sai Sudharsan at number three was dropped to bring in Axar Patel, and in the team sheet, Washington Sundar was slotted in to bat at three.
“Really surprised at the lineup because I certainly expected Sai Sudarshan to be playing in this Test match. Who’s going to bat at No.3? That will be the question. Washington Sundar has been slotted to bat at No.3, so India will be bowling first. 4 spinners and 2 fast bowlers,” Kumble said on Star Sports, as quoted by The Indian Express.
“I certainly expected 3 spinners to play and 2 fast bowlers. So, that’s going to be a bit of a challenge. Day 1, the wicket is good. It’s not like you need 4 spinners and one of them will certainly get under-bowled. So, it’s going to be interesting to see how Shubman Gill uses his resources on Day 1. Of course, the 2 new ball bowlers will become that much more critical on day 1 for India,” Kumble added.
Kumble assessed the balance of the side and noted the heavy presence of all-rounders and left-handed batters in the XI.
“It’s all-rounders. I mean, if you look at the batting lineup, Washington Sundar has been slotted at 3. So, obviously, if he bats at 3, then the batters are Shubman, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul. The rest of them are all-rounders. I consider Rishabh Pant as an all-rounder,” he said.
“Dhruv Jurel is an all-rounder. Then you have Jadeja, Akshar Patel and Washington Sundar. So, it’s a team full of all-rounders, and that’s probably the kind of team that India is going with in all 3 formats of the game.”
The selection triggered further attention because the side included six left-handed batters, marking the first time in India’s Test history that the playing XI comprised that many left-handers.