IND vs ENG: Should India select Kuldeep Yadav for the second Test?

Amid the highs of winning the Test series in Australia and the low of losing to England in Chennai in a matter of a few days, the treatment of Kuldeep Yadav by the Indian team management has been quite baffling. Even when India were on a roll in Australia, questions were being raised as to why the chinaman spinner was constantly snubbed even though the team was without several key players because of injuries.

Keeping Kuldeep out

When Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were ruled out of the fourth Test against Australia, Kuldeep was widely backed to play the game. But India kept him on the bench and handed a debut to Washington Sundar. The decision was not criticised much as India were short on batting power and perhaps that is why Sundar was preferred.

Sundar then went on to justify the decision by impressing with both bat and ball to help India register a series-clinching win. The focus then shifted towards the ongoing series against England and Kuldeep looked set to play the first Test in absence of injured Jadeja. The likes of Washington Sundar and Axar Patel were in the squad too but Kuldeep was expected to partner Ravichandran Ashwin on the slow and spinning track of Chennai.

Just two years ago, Kuldeep Yadav was touted as India’s first choice spinner in Tests. Now, he’s battling to stay afloat. But he needn’t look too far for inspiration. Ashwin & Pant too fought back from periods of self doubt. Stay strong Kuldeep!

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) February 5, 2021

But the Indian team-management sprung another huge surprise by including Shahbaz Nadeem in the playing eleven for the first Test. Nadeem was added to the squad on the morning of the Test itself after Axar was ruled out due to pain in the left knee. The decision to include Nadeem backfired as the left-arm spinner failed to make an impression in the game.

In a game where England’s inexperienced spinners Jack Leach and Dom Bess combined for 11 wickets, India’s spinners with the exception of Ashwin struggled to deliver. India perhaps paid the price for ignoring a bowler who picked up T20I and ODI fifers against England in their own backyard as well as a Test fifer in Australia.  As the likes of Nadeem and Sundar were proving ineffective, the question that arose was why was Kuldeep snubbed and should he be picked for the crucial second Test?

When 21 yr old Kapil Dev was dropped from the u 22 team that played against MCC at Nagpur in 1977 he was found crying in the nearby garden. It’s 2 years Kuldeep Yadav hasn’t played a Test after taking 5 wickets in his last Test. Hope Ravi Shastri is talking to him.

— Makarand Waingankar (@wmakarand) February 5, 2021

Looking ahead

As far as the first part of the question is concerned, only the team-management can answer it. And for the second part, the answer is a big yes. There is no reason as to why Kuldeep should sit on the bench when he has proved himself in international cricket. Not very long ago, he was the bowler who replaced the likes of Ashwin and Jadeja in India’s limited-overs teams and performed exceedingly well across the world.

Kuldeep’s record in Tests is impressive too. In 4 games so far, he has picked up 24 wickets. In his last Test which was in Sydney in 2019, he had picked up a five-wicket haul, prompting Ravi Shastri to say he was the No. 1 choice in overseas Tests. But unfortunately for the spinner, things have not panned out in an expected manner since then.

While India did keep Kuldeep out to have some variety in the spin attack, it still made them monotonous with all three being finger spinners. A wrist-spinner relies little on the pitch and more on his skill. In the first two days of the first Test, the left-arm chinaman could have been successful. After the loss, India should definitely explore the possibility of including Kuldeep.