 AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, May 4: Kuldeep Yadav is one match-winner that India can't afford to miss in the upcoming Test series in England and the wrist spinner should be picked ahead of batting all-rounders, reckon former selectors and coaches. Ravindra Jadeja is an automatic choice for the five-Test series because of his superior batting skills and Kuldeep also bring to the table a specific skill set, they feel. The national selection committee will announce India and the 'A' squad for the England tour, most likely after the identification of teams for the IPL Play-offs. The red ball specialists in other six IPL teams as usual will travel earlier as it has happened on previous tours of England, scheduled right after the conclusion of IPL. In Australia, Washington Sundar started as the first choice spinner since both Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were benched after their underwhelming show at home against New Zealand.
Ashwin eventually retired as he didn't want to go through the grind of having to prove himself again in overseas conditions and Washington got only three wickets from three Tests.
Former chairman of selectors MSK Prasad, his selection committee colleague Devang Gandhi and former India opener and noted coach WV Raman all feel that Kuldeep has that 'x' factor that India will need in England.
"Kuldeep Yadav is an attacking option and he needs to be in that Indian squad in England. He has played 12 Tests so far and if I look at his strike-rate, it is a wicket every six overs (37.3 balls per wicket). So Kuldeep along with Jadeja is a no-brainer for me," Raman, one of the most astute analysts of the game, told PTI.
Prasad, under whose chairmanship Kuldeep first got the Test cap, also feels that he could be a better option compared to Washington although the Tamil Nadu player has also been pretty decent, especially with the willow on two Test tours of Australia.
"While you can still have Washy in the squad, I personally feel you need a proper match-winning spinner like Kuldeep," Prasad said.
He was forthright in his assessment that Kuldeep is the only Indian spinner playing red ball and can make the difference with his bowling instead of a batting all-rounder in overseas conditions.
"On his day, he has the ability to win you a match single-handedly - something the other spinners in the current set-up may not offer consistently. There are venues in England that assist spin, and being a wrist-spinner with an element of mystery in his bowling, Kuldeep could be extremely valuable in those conditions."
"In England, weather does play a part. But August in London can be hot and hence Kuldeep can be a handful at the Oval. If it's humid, he can make the difference at Birmingham and Old Trafford also." His selection committee colleague Gandhi feels that unlike Australia, there won't be a lot of bounce on English tracks and hence Kuldeep's style of bowling could suit India's plans. "Look, make no mistake, pitches in England in recent times have been a bit worn out because of the volume of cricket played on these tracks," Gandhi, who was a touring selector during the 2018 series and played league cricket in England for a decade, said. |
