India vs England: Rohit and Dravid need to be aggressive and pick Kuldeep Yadav for Visakhapatnam Test

Kuldeep Yadav could be one of the players who comes into India’s playing XI for the second Test against England at Visakhapatnam as the hosts look to bounce back form the 28-run defeat in the first match at Hyderabad. But it’s tough to predict how the team management thinks given their history of surprising us with their team selections. India, under captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid, have a tendency of opting for safety-first approach and this could see Kuldeep not coming into the XI for the second match of the five-Test series as a replacement for injured Ravindra Jadeja as the Uttar Pradesh spinner is not known for his batting.

Whoever comes in, it’s going to be after a lot of deliberation and the team management has tough task of selecting a XI, especially as they look to make comeback in a home series, a rare occurrence. Here are the contenders to replace and possible scenarios as far as India’s spin combination is concerned.

Contenders to replace Jadeja

After Jadeja was ruled out of the second Test due to hamstring injury, BCCI added spinners Saurabh Kumar and Washington Sundar to the squad. Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are the three spinners who were already part of the squad.

At Hyderabad, it was Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar who got to play while Kuldeep warmed the bench.

Now, the big question in front of Team India management is who will replace Jadeja at Visakhapatnam?

With another typical subcontinent pitch expected for the second Test which starts on 2 February, there’s a good chance we will see three more spinners from India. It’s impossible to see Ashwin going out and also Axar is expected to hold onto his place for various reasons; he is a gun fielder, reliable lower-order batter and terrific spinner at home who has a brilliant record against England.

The lack of batters like Virat Kohli, who is out due to personal reasons, and KL Rahul, who has pain in right quadriceps, means India cannot afford to take Axar out of the XI as he is a brilliant all-rounder and has been in good form also.

Fight for one spot

Kuldeep, Saurabh Kumar and Washington Sundar will most probably fight for that one spot unless India opt to rest one pacer as well and open up two places for a spinner. Going by Rohit and Dravid’s track record, it’s quite possible Sundar gets a nod ahead of Kuldeep and Saurabh as he is a better batter among the three, but Washington hasn’t really impressed with his bowling.

In four Tests, he only has six wickets at an average of 49.83. Not much to write about that.

Saurabh Kumar is still to make his debut but has 2061 runs in first-class cricket at 27.11 with two hundreds, which means he has the capability to bat. He also has 290 at an average of 24.41, but his lack of experience can go against him.

The 30-year-old from UP can get into the Xi if India opt to play four spinners but in case of three spinners, he will mostly miss out.

Kuldeep leads the race

This brings us to our favourite Kuldeep.

This UP tweaker is proven quantity who has had a redemption of sort sin international cricket, especially in white-ball cricket.

Kuldeep has take 34 wickets so far in eight Tests at 21.55, but most importantly, his left-arm wrist spin is not depended on surfaces to extract spin.

In India’s second innings when the slow pitch at Hyderabad went a little flat and did not offer big turn, Ashwin and Jadeja had a tough time as they both conceded over 125 runs and took just five wickets together. In such a scenario, Kuldeep could prove to be a game chancer as his subtle variations, mystery spin and ability to extract more form the pitch could help him excel in adverse conditions.

Another aspect that Kuldeep adds to India’s arsenal is his variations. In Ashwin and Axar, India already have an off-spinner and left-arm orthodox spinner. Sundar (off-spinner) and Saurabh (left-arm orthodox) offer the same, but Kuldeep offers extra with his unorthodox bowling style.

Former India captain Anil Kumble is also of the same opinion.

“The wrist spin of Kuldeep brings in a new dimension to the attack. India already have (offie) Ashwin and (left-arm finger spinner) Axar, so Kuldeep has to be the obvious choice,” Kumble said on JioCinema.

Going with another spinner other than Kuldeep will only give one signal that India are circumspect and not willing meet Bazball fire with fire.