The necessity for India to have spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the starting lineup for the second Test match against England has been highlighted by former Indian cricketer Saba Karim. Karim noted that Kuldeep has had a lot of success in the past against the English hitters at home and might be a useful addition.
At Headingley, Leeds, on June 24, India lost the first Test match to England by five wickets. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and bowling seam all-rounder Shardul Thakur were all part of the Indian team’s pace-heavy assault.
Karim thinks that the England hitters would face a special challenge from Kuldeep Yadav wrist spin, which could be hard for them to read.
“The witness is the statistics. During the home series against England, Kuldeep Yadav claimed 17 wickets. No English hitter can grasp what he’s doing when he releases the ball. Why don’t you play that type of bowler, then? For you, he is an attacking bowler. “At the moment, India needs bowlers who can attack,” Karim stated on Sony Sports.
India should select four specialist bowlers, according to the former wicketkeeper-batter, especially if Nitish Kumar Reddy is added as a batting all-rounder at number seven.
“The four remaining bowlers must be capable of getting wickets if you are using Nitish Kumar Reddy, a batting all-rounder. India will need to take decisive action. Defensive choices are unnecessary. Since we are behind 1-0, now is the moment to make brave and audacious choices that would benefit India,” Karim admitted.
In 13 Test matches, left-arm spinner Kuldeep has taken 56 wickets at an average of 22.16. During home Test matches against England in 2024, he notably took 19 wickets at an average of 20.15.
India shouldn’t allow England to make a comeback: Karim
Karim also emphasised that one of the Leeds Test’s main positives was the Indian pacers’ performance in the second innings. He did, however, issue a warning, saying that India cannot afford to allow England to regain the lead.
“We definitely lost the Test match, but what lessons can India learn from this? To a certain degree, your middle order and top order have performed admirably. They have five hundred points. Although Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna’s performances in the second innings were significantly better, Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling has always been amazing, Karim stated.
“The most important lesson will be that you cannot allow England to make a comeback when you are in a strong position. It was the second time we made that error. I believe the game changed course after we committed the identical error in the first and second innings,” Karim said.
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