There was no room for Kuldeep Yadav in India's playing XI despite all the talks around his potential return for the second Test against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham which kicked off on July 2. However, India captain Shubman Gill came up with an explanation as to why the ace spinner is still out of team's playing XI. Despite Gill admitting they were 'tempted' to pick the lone specialist spinner in the squad, the team management ultimately prioritised batting depth. This led to the inclusion of all-rounder Washington Sundar as the second spin option to partner with Ravindra Jadeja.
Why Kuldeep Yadav didn't feature in India's playing XI for 2nd Test against England?
Among the multiple changes, the two most significant are the resting of premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and the continued non-selection of Kuldeep Yadav, sparking debate about the team's strategy following their defeat in the series opener at Headingley. Besides, Bumrah, Shardul Thakur and Sai Sudharsan were also kept out of India's playing XI for the second Test of the five-match series.
Right at the toss which Ben Stokes won and hence elected to bowl first, former England captain and presenter Michael Atherton directly questioned Indian skipper about the persistent reluctance to play Kuldeep in Test matches. Atherton highlighted that the highly-skilled left-arm wrist-spinner has only featured in 13 Tests since his debut in 2017, with his last appearance being against New Zealand at home last year.
In his response, Gill confirmed that the decision was purely tactical, aimed at strengthening the team's batting lineup. He explained that Washington Sundar, being a more capable batsman, was chosen over Kuldeep to provide greater security and depth in the lower order, making him the preferred second spin-bowling option for this crucial match.
"We were very tempted to play him, but, you know, looking at the last match, we wanted to add a bit of depth in the batting, and that's what we have done," Gill said during the toss.
Notably, Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar walked into India's playing XI in place of Bumrah, Sudharsan and Shardul.
"Would've bowled first as well. If there's anything in the wicket, it's in the first day. Three changes - Reddy, Washi and Akash Deep come in. No Bumrah. Just to manage his workload. We did get a good break and this is an important match for us. But the third Test being at Lord's, we think there'll be more in that pitch so we'll use him there," Gill further added.
India's Playing XI:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
England's Playing XI:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir