Kuldeep Yadav likely to return as India consider two spinners for Edgbaston Test
The dilemma is understandable. India were heavily reliant on Jasprit Bumrah in the first Test, with the right-arm quick picking up a brilliant five-for in the first innings but receiving little support from the rest of the attack. Shardul Thakur, who featured as the bowling all-rounder, had minimal impact - delivering just 16 overs across both innings and returning match figures of 2/78, while scoring 1 and 4 with the bat.advertisementKuldeep's inclusion would bolster India's wicket-taking threat considerably. The left-arm wrist-spinner has enjoyed considerable success against England, taking 21 wickets from six Tests at an average of 22.28. He was pivotal in India's home series win earlier this year - the only blemish on England's otherwise formidable record under the Stokes-McCullum leadership. Kuldeep picked up 19 wickets from four matches in that series, including a Player of the Match performance in the Dharamsala Test with figures of 7/112.His impact hasn't been limited to the red-ball format. England have struggled against him in white-ball cricket too - with Kuldeep claiming eight wickets in just three T20Is against them at a miserly average of 9.62. In ODIs, he has 14 scalps from nine matches, including a career-best 6/25.Yet, picking Kuldeep might force India to sacrifice some batting cushion, especially if Thakur makes way. The alternative could be Washington Sundar, who offers more with the bat but is considered less potent with the ball in overseas conditions.Ten Doeschate also confirmed that young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is knocking on the door. The 21-year-old impressed on the Australia tour and has been working tirelessly in the nets."He's very close to getting a game. Obviously, he was fantastic in Australia - coming into the team and playing the way he did. We just felt, on balance, for the last game, we wanted to go with the bowling all-rounder. We thought Shardul was slightly ahead on the bowling front. We're looking at ways of rejigging the puzzle," the assistant coach said."So we can get a batting all-rounder in. And obviously, Nitish is our premium batting all-rounder at the moment. So I would say it's a very good chance to play this Test," he added.- EndsYou May Also Like
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Comfort' pick 'illusionary all-rounders' under fire as India told to pick proven star before ‘reality hits on the face'
India's reluctance to include Kuldeep Yadav in their playing XI for the opening Test against England at Headingley has reignited a tactical debate. Former cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has weighed in with a sharp critique of the team's all-rounder strategy. Despite England's susceptibility to high-quality spin, India chose to leave Kuldeep out, opting instead for a combination that prioritised batting depth through the inclusion of Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur. India's Shubman Gill with head coach Gautam Gambhir during practice (Action Images via Reuters) This decision is consistent with India's approach since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia last year, where the team often leaned on the likes of Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, or Jadeja, and occasionally two of them, to provide a more robust lower-order batting core. While this might have made sense in Australian conditions that demanded pace-heavy attacks, Manjrekar believes India are falling into a trap of 'illusionary all-rounders,' players whose presence reassures batting strength but who may not offer the incisiveness needed with the ball. Against a Bazball-inspired England side that thrives on momentum and attack, Manjrekar has called for India to rethink their approach and bring Kuldeep into the mix at Edgbaston. 'It's a nice comforting feel, what I call the illusionary all-rounders. It just feels nicer having them in the team before reality hits on the face. That happened in Australia, and it's unfortunate that people think like that about Kuldeep Yadav,' Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo. "You don't actually see how a pure bowler, or a wicket-taker like Kuldeep Yadav gives the kind of advantage to the team. There's Bazball, and Kuldeep is not an easy bowler for a lot of English batters to play that kind of cricket against. 'When you have an exceptional wicket-taker... if he gets you four wickets, you get 150 runs less on the opposition's score. If you pick someone who isn't a wicket-taker and pick him for his batting skills, he might get you 1-2 wickets, plus he's never going to get you less than 150 runs.' Reliable spin option The wrist-spinner has shown the ability to extract a sharp turn even in pace-friendly conditions and has matured into a much more reliable Test option over the past year. His ability to slow down the tempo and create pressure with wicket-taking deliveries could be exactly what India need to break England's rhythm. India's bowling unit in Leeds struggled for sustained control, with only Jasprit Bumrah offering genuine penetration. With doubts over Bumrah's availability for the second Test due to workload management, the need for a frontline spinner becomes even more urgent.
India Today
10 hours ago
- India Today
ENG-W vs IND-W: Smriti Mandhana joins Rohit Sharma in elite club with 150 T20Is
Smriti Mandhana became only the third Indian cricketer to feature in 150 T20Is, joining the elite company of Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur. The left-handed opener achieved the milestone during the second T20I against Nat Sciver-Brunt's England on July 1 at the County Ground in 149 matches leading up to the game, Mandhana amassed 3873 runs at an average of 30.02 and a strike rate of 124.41, including one century and 30 half-centuries. She currently sits second on the all-time run-scorers list in Women's T20Is, behind New Zealand's Suzie is now just 127 runs away from becoming only the second player - after Bates - to reach 4000 runs in Women's T20Is. Among men, only Babar Azam, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli have achieved the feat.150 Dreaming big, achieving milestones, setting new standards Smriti Mandhana's legacy through her teammates' eyes ahead of her 150th T20I WATCH - By @jigsactin | #TeamIndia | @mandhana_smritihttps:// BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) July 1, 2025Smriti Mandhana lights up Nottingham On June 28, Smriti Mandhana lit up Trent Bridge in Nottingham, becoming only the second Indian woman after Harmanpreet Kaur to score a T20I century. She also made history by registering the highest individual score by an Indian in Women's smashed 112 off 62 balls, hitting 15 fours and three sixes, before being dismissed by Emily Arlott in the final over of the innings. Her knock earned her the Player of the Match award as India secured a dominant 97-run win to go 1-0 up in the found strong support from Harleen Deol, with whom she stitched a 94-run partnership for the second wicket. Earlier, she added 77 runs with Shafali Verma to give India a solid start after being asked to bat first by route to her century, Mandhana became the first Indian woman to score hundreds in all three formats of international cricket. Among Indian men, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Suresh Raina, and KL Rahul have also achieved this feat.- Ends
NDTV
11 hours ago
- NDTV
Kuldeep Yadav To Be Played Or Ignored For 2nd India vs England Test? Shubman Gill Says: "Difficult..."
Less than 24 hours before the second Test, India captain Shubman Gill said the team management has not yet locked in a combination that allows them to take 20 wickets and score runs on potentially flat wickets in the unusually hot English summer. Gill also did not commit to premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah playing at Edgbaston despite being 'available for selection'. The clarity, however, was provided on his preference for a second spinner over a pacer especially with the old Dukes ball making run scoring a lot easier for the opposition. 'Bumrah bhai is definitely available. We are trying to find the right combination where we can take 20 wickets and score runs as well on these kind of wickets. We just thought we are going to have a final look today once we come to the ground and see what kind of combination that we want to go with tomorrow,' Gill said on the eve of the second Test. 'Our first priority would always be on these kind of wickets, how we can get 20 wickets rather than playing that extra batter,' he added. India missed a second spinner on day five at Leeds and they seem to have made up their mind to add either Washington Sundar or Kuldeep Yadav to the playing eleven alongside Ravindra Jadeja. Picking Washington will be a conservative choice while Kuldeep would be an attacking option. 'It is not usual to play two spinners here but we have not had typical weather here. There has not been enough rain. In the last match also, we felt that if we had an extra spinner in the 4th innings, the game could have been better,' said Gill. 'There were some patches in the wicket that we could have exploited. Whenever Jaddu Bhai was bowling, we felt that chances were being created. 'We felt that it is easier to contain the runs for spinners than for fast bowlers, especially when the ball is old. In these conditions, the ball does not swing as much after 30-40 overs. 'If fast bowlers are not able to create as many chances for fast bowlers, we feel that maybe a second spinner on these kinds of wickets will at least contain runs until the second new ball arrives, where there are more chances,' said Gill. How to manage a second spinner? A host of former players have called for Kuldeep's inclusion in the playing eleven. Gill admitted that it is tough indeed to leave the wrist spinner on the bench. 'They are difficult calls for sure. If you are going with an extra spinner, the only thing that you have to see is how you manage him on day 1 if you are bowling. And ideally, if at all there is anything on these kinds of wickets, it is on day 1 in the first session or first couple of sessions. 'So, taking a call on that and seeing how you would manage your second spinner, especially on day 1, is the main call that you have to take on these kinds of wickets,' said India's new number four. In the backdrop of two lower-order batting collapses, Gill also needs to maintain a fine balance between batting and bowling depth. 'Ideally, you would want to have your batting depth till 7 or if your 8 can bat a little bit. But if you are going till 9, I think it is difficult to take 20 wickets on these kind of wickets that we are playing on. 'If we are able to go with 4 or 5 premier bowlers with maybe a 6th bowling option and then have our batting till 7 or 8, that would be a good combination for us,' felt Gill. Perennial struggles of lower-order India's tail copped plenty of criticism for their lack of application at Leeds as the visitors squandered the advantage twice with the bat. The issue has been discussed at length in the dressing room. 'It's been one of the things that we always talk about, especially with our batting depth that our lower order sometimes isn't able to contribute as much as the other teams. 'But having said that, you can also look at the other side as well. I was batting on 147 and the way I got out, maybe I could have scored 50 more runs in partnership with Rishabh. 'If you get a good ball and you get out, that's fine. But once you are set and you know that you don't really have that much depth in your batting order, maybe the top order could take a little bit of more responsibility and bat (the opposition) completely out of the game. 'But definitely your lower order, when your last five or six doesn't contribute as much, then it becomes easier for the opposition to come back in the game,' said Gill. Learnings as captain In his first Test as captain, Gill had plenty to explore and learn with the bat and in the field. 'A lot of lessons. Like when we were batting, I felt I could have, now looking back at it, the kind of shot that I played, I felt I could have batted a little bit more,' he said. 'When we were bowling, there were learnings like once the ball is getting old and it's getting soft, there isn't much happening. So how would you contain or how would you control the run flow, especially with the way they bat? 'Like I mentioned, maybe having an extra spinner might help contain that run flow, especially in the third or in the fourth innings,' he noted.
