Greg Chappell wants Arshdeep and Kuldeep in India XI for 2nd Test vs ENG

Business Standard

a day ago

India's five-wicket defeat in the opening Test at Headingley has stirred more than just disappointment. While the eight dropped catches were glaring, former Australia captain and ex-India coach Greg Chappell believes they were just the surface symptoms of a deeper, strategic ailment. The Australian legend also wants to see Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav in India's playing XI for the second Test, which starts on July 2, against England.
'As disappointing as the fielding in Headingley was, it was not the main reason India lost the Test,' Chappell wrote in his ESPNcricinfo column. 'Most of India's problems were self-inflicted.'
What truly worries Chappell is the sameness in India's seam attack. With Siraj, Thakur and Krishna all offering similar right-arm, medium-fast deliveries, batters are rarely forced to adjust.
'Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, India's seamers are too similar... There's a reason why wickets often fall after a bowling change—it forces recalibration,' Chappell argued.
And that recalibration, he believes, was missing.
Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh (L-R)
The call for contrast: Arshdeep and Kuldeep
Chappell did not hold back in suggesting bold inclusions. Arshdeep Singh, with his left-arm angle, and Kuldeep Yadav, whom Chappell audaciously describes as 'possibly the best wrist-spinner since Shane Warne', must be brought in to shake up the attack.
'Without Bumrah, I'd like to see Arshdeep added to the mix and Kuldeep included in the attack,' he said.
At Headingley, Bumrah shouldered the burden with figures of 5/140. Thakur and Krishna, meanwhile, combined for seven wickets at the cost of 309 runs—not exactly match-turning numbers.
Bowlers must hunt in packs
Beyond personnel, Chappell also took aim at India's bowling discipline. He saw no sustained pressure, no threatening sequences.
'I didn't see two consecutive balls land in a dangerous place,' he wrote. 'Too full, too short or too wide.'
With Bumrah as the lone spearhead, England merely had to weather his spells to escape pressure.
India cricket team with captain Shubman Gill during practice session in Birmingham. Photo: PTI
Batting depth vs bowling balance: A costly trade-off
Chappell issued a scathing verdict on India's team composition. Selecting bits-and-pieces all-rounders to lengthen the batting line-up is, in his view, a short-sighted insurance policy.
'The top six must be trusted to deliver the runs,' he said. 'The best combination to take 20 wickets must be made available to the captain.'
Ravindra Jadeja. Photo: PTI
Jadeja a passenger in English conditions?
In Chappell's eyes, Jadeja is not a frontline spinner in England. If his batting is valued, he may serve as support. Otherwise, India need to reassess—and soon.
'If India are to reverse their fortunes in this series, then a better-balanced team is required,' he warned.
Chappell concluded with a punch aimed at the selection panel. If players are expected to take risks on the field, selectors too must show courage.
'They have to make bold decisions,' he said.
With the series slipping away, India must now choose between caution and courage. The time for half-measures is over.