Follow UsFormer cricketers Sanjay Manjrekar and Harbhajan Singh want the Indian team management to play left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav ahead of Shardul Thakur in the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, starting July 2. Thakur bowled only 16 overs in the first Test and leaked runs at an economy of close to six. With the bat, he scored just five runs across two innings as India lost the match by five wickets, allowing England to chase down 371 in the final innings.
“I’m sorry, but Shardul Thakur has to go out. I think Kuldeep Yadav must come back. That is one change India will have to make. As for Nitish Kumar Reddy — I backed him for the first Test purely based on what he did in Australia. It’s an unpopular choice because when he comes in, the balance does get affected a bit,” Manjrekar told JioHotstar.
“He won’t quite bowl like a fourth seamer, so India need to take a hard call. Even in English conditions, they must go with quality bowlers. 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. Let’s also acknowledge that English summers these days are largely dry — thanks to global warming, perhaps — and that does open the door for spin. In a way, it’s time to reintroduce the idea of India playing spin in England.”
Kuldeep has featured in 13 Tests for India, claiming 56 wickets at an average of 22.2 and a strike rate of 37.4. He has played four away Tests, where he has taken 18 wickets at an average of 19.6. His numbers are far better than those of Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, and all other seamers in the squad, barring Jasprit Bumrah.
"The pressure is now on India because when you trail 0-1, you need to learn and move ahead. I feel Kuldeep Yadav should get a game in the next match. If he comes into the XI, India will have more wicket-taking options,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel, as reported by the Hindustan Times.