Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Maanjrekar has asked the Indian management to make one change in the Rohit Sharma-led side's playing XI for the second and final Test of the two-match series which will be played at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur, on September 27. He raised questions over their decision not to include Kuldeep Yadav in the opening Test despite a stunning 280-run win and said they should have gone for 3 spinners in the Indian condition.
Since making his Test debut in 2017, Kuldeep has played in 12 matches. He has amassed 53 wickets with steady performances in important series, such as his performance against England earlier this year. He took 19 wickets in four games throughout that series and made significant contributions with lower-order runs. The left-arm spinner, nevertheless, was left out of the first Test in Chennai, when India went with a pace-heavy attack featuring Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Jasprit Bumrah, despite his established record.
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Manjrekar on Kuldeep
Sanjay Manjrekar questioned this choice, saying that even though the Chennai surface was predicted to favour seamers early on, India could have played Kuldeep.
"I feel Kuldeep Yadav should not be dropped so easily. Even if it was not a turner, India would have benefited from playing him in Chennai because seamers get help for just one or one-and-a-half days on an Indian pitch. It starts supporting spinners after that, and when you have a bowler like Kuldeep Yadav, you should not keep him out this easily," Manjrekar said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo.
Manjrekar requested the team management to reevaluate Kuldeep's exclusion, regardless of the pitch conditions, as India got ready for the Kanpur Test. Even though it might seem green at first, spinners usually come into action after the first few hours, which makes Kuldeep an invaluable asset when paired with the other frontline spinners, stressed the former cricket player turned analyst.
"India should go with this approach in Kanpur. Even if it's a green top and the sun is out, they should keep in mind that the green top will be just for the first few hours, and Siraj and Bumrah are enough for that. When you have three proven spinners, you should play all of them," Manjrekar added.
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