Star spinner Kuldeep Yadav was not selected by a touring Indian side for any of the five Test matches in the current series against England. The Aligarh native was supposed to play as a specialist spinner on the English tracks, but the think tank made him sit out the entire tour as Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, both all-rounders, filled the twin responsibilities.
Since the wrist-spinner did not make an appearance in the starting lineup for any of the games from Headingley to London, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly recently explained why he expected Kuldeep Yadav to play at least three games. In none of the Test matches did India have a true spinner to take advantage of the UK’s conditions, Ganguly said.
“I wish Kuldeep Yadav had participated in the third Test at Lord’s, the fourth Test in Manchester, and even the second Test in Birmingham.”
It will be difficult to get teams out on Day 5 of a test if you don’t have good spin. At a Bisk Farm event, Ganguly said, “There wasn’t a quality spinner on a pitch that had a bit of rough and there was a bit of turn,” as reported by The Hindu.
famous spinners, like Shane Warne, Muttah Murali (tharan), Grey Swann, Monty Panesar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, or Ravichan Ashwin, have been a part of famous teams in the past. India will need to consider fielding Kuldeep in the future, he continued.
Ganguly was taken aback by Mukesh Kumar’s disregard.
The former opening batsman has also questioned the lack of knowledge regarding Mukesh Kumar, a swing bowler. Ganguly believes that his statistics, particularly with the red ball, speak for themselves, and he was shocked to be left out. Additionally, he gave captain Shubman Gill extra credit while comparing the current situation to the times he led India to England.
“With the red ball in particular, I was shocked to see Mukesh Kumar left out of the national team. “These conditions would have been perfect for him to bowl, and he has incredible numbers in domestic cricket,” the West Bengali remarked.
“In 2002 and 2007, we went on tours in England. All of them scored well from the first to the sixth. After a while, I noticed an Indian batting lineup where all of the players, including the top, middle, and lower middle orders, had reached the hundred-mark. Shubman has performed admirably. You will get folks who can deliver if you give them responsibilities. The former India captain went on to say, “Young Shubman is batting brilliantly, hitting his first hundred outside of India (subcontinent).”
In the current series, Gill has amassed the most runs for both India and both teams. He has amassed a staggering 743 innings with an average of 82.55 in the nine innings thus far. India, who changed their lineup four times in the fourth Test, will be aiming for a draw in the current game at The Oval.
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