Kuldeep for Jadeja: Brad Haddin asks Shubman Gill to make bold move in 2nd Test

India Today

8 hours ago

Former Australian cricketer Brad Haddin has urged the Indian Test captain, Shubman Gill, to make more attacking moves and opt for a risk-taking approach ahead of their second Test against England at Birmingham to be played on July 2.Haddin was fairly critical of India's bowling performance, which resulted in the loss by five wickets despite putting up impressive batting displays across both innings. The bowling unit, barring Bumrah, struggled for the most part and were poor in maintaining their lines and lengths.advertisementThe 47-year-old questioned whether Ravindra Jadeja's inclusion was justified when playing in away conditions. Instead, he wanted a more attacking option in Kuldeep Yadav to be brought back into the side.
'Are we seeing the decline of Ravindra Jadeja? I mean, yes, he is effective in Indian conditions and how hard it is to play left-arm spin in India, but I don't think he is the best option to have in the team spin-wise,' Haddin commented on the Willow Talk podcast.'I don't think Jadeja can be effective. Yes, he is a good all-rounder, and he could play as a second spinner, hold at the other end. But I think they need to be more attacking, be willing to lose a Test match with some inexperienced bowlers, but change their mindset on the way they go about it,' Haddin added.advertisementWhen playing away from home, the southpaw has amassed a middling 1304 runs in 30 Tests at an average of 32.6, which includes nine fifties and one century, which came in Birmingham in 2022. His bowling numbers show that he has 81 wickets in the 30 Tests played at an average of 35.58, which is far worse compared to his 20.71 average at home.Considering that India already have a few holding bowlers (bowlers who bowl long spells at an economical rate to build pressure) where he included both Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja. But he does not think that Jadeja would be an effective option when playing in English conditions and instead opted to bring in Kuldeep. He wanted the Indian side to be bold with their changes and take risks to find that ideal combination.'I would look at Kuldeep. Someone who is an attacking spinner, who can get wickets. You've got a couple of hold-in bowlers. Siraj can play that role, but I think they need to be a bit more bold in their selection of bowlers,' he said.'If Reddy plays, then you don't have to play Jadeja and bring the attacking spin option. I think that's one thing they've got to look at, especially away from home,' he added.Another big change that India may have to cope with is regarding the availability of Jasprit Bumrah for the next game. Without him, the team would have to make such bold moves to ensure that they don't fall behind in the series with a 0-2 deficit.- EndsMust Watch