Kuldeep Yadav should be in the Indian team’s squad for the second Test, which begins on Wednesday, July 2, at Edgbaston, Birmingham, according to a number of experts and supporters. The most recent person to argue that is Michael Clarke, who believes that Kuldeep’s ability to take wickets will benefit India.
India’s five-match Test tour of England got off to a poor start when they lost the opening Test at Headingley, Leeds, by five wickets. With the exception of Jasprit Bumrah, the bowling department was disappointing, even though the hitters performed admirably.
“I don’t want to be harsh on anyone, but I believe they must play Kuldeep Yadav in the bowling order.
It seems like a no-brainer to me. The 2015 World Cup-winning captain stated on the Beyond23 Podcast, “He’s a wicket-taker and would have offered a lot more than what the attack did in this Test.”
India frequently stacks their side with a wide range of batting options, Clarke observed. To win Test matches in England, the former Australian cricket player said that the team captained by Shubman Gill should concentrate on taking 20 wickets.
India has been doing this for some time. They are prepared to take the chance of selecting their top spinner in order to achieve their goal of extra batting or stacking the batting deep. “I think you have to aim to take 20 wickets if you want to win in England,” he continued.
Execution most likely needs to be improved: Although he praised Bumrah’s efforts in the first Test, Clarke stated that the other pacers needed to work on their performance in the next matches because they were erratic.
“That onslaught is being led by Bumrah, who is a star. The other three pacers, meanwhile, need to find more ways to take wickets even though they occasionally bowled well. “They probably need to improve their execution,” Clarke said.
The former cricket player turned broadcaster also bemoaned Ravindra Jadeja’s lacklustre showing, particularly in the second innings when the Saurashtra all-rounder failed to take advantage of the rough outside the left-hander’s off-stump.
“Jadeja didn’t have the effect I had anticipated. I thought he would take advantage of the rough outside the left-hander’s off-stump, especially in the second innings. He bowled a bit too straight, in my opinion,” Clarke remarked.