Did Team India lose the first Test against England even before it began? This is a view many hold because of Shardul Thakur’s selection. All signs indicated that a batting-friendly surface will be rolled out in Headingley. The pitch curator stated so as well. The surface was going to dry and was expected to help spinners as the match progressed.
The Shardul Thakur selection blunder
And the game worked exactly like that. 1673 runs were scored across five days and 35 wickets fell. That’s a wicket per 47.80 runs. Considering all of this, you need not only attacking but also the right bowlers. And the overwhelming belief was that Kuldeep Yadav should have been picked. Ravichandran Ashwin had voiced this before the first Test and after it as well.
In the end, Team India paid the price. Shardul bowled just 16 overs. The two wickets he got were lucky ones. His economy was 5.56. One can’t claim that Kuldeep would’ve taken more wickets since even Ravindra Jadeja got one wicket in the entire match.
But in likelihood, he would have been India’s biggest weapon in the second innings. At the bare minimum, he would have bowled a lot more than Shardul across the Test and taken the load off Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna’s backs.
Kuldeep Yadav into the mix
The ball was gripping on day five especially. Perhaps the results of the Headingley Test might have been different if Kuldeep had been bowling in tandem with Jadeja. We’ll never know that. But the team management has learned their lesson. According to CricBlogger, head coach Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill will follow the ways of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri and go into the India vs England 2nd Test with five out-and-out bowlers.
Kohli and Shastri often opted for five frontline bowlers even if it meant that the tail was weaker. Gill and Gambhir didn’t do this in Headingley. They didn’t pick a frontline pacer but a fourth fast bowler who can bat, in Shardul. This clearly backfired. So, they are looking to course-correct.
We still don’t know what sort of pitch will be rolled out in Edgbaston. But the indication from the first Test was to expect batting surfaces with minimal seam and swing movement. Dry surfaces which will continue to aid batters throughout. But wear and tear will bring spinners into the game. Therefore, Kuldeep is likely to be in India’s playing XI for the second England Test with Shardul going out.
Indian bowlers in Headingley
| Bowlers | Overs | Runs | Wkts | BBI | Avg | Econ | SR |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 43.4 | 140 | 5 | 5/83 | 28.00 | 3.20 | 52.40 |
| Prasidh Krishna | 35.0 | 220 | 5 | 3/128 | 44.00 | 6.28 | 42.00 |
| Shardul Thakur | 16.0 | 89 | 2 | 2/51 | 44.50 | 5.56 | 48.00 |
| Mohammed Siraj | 41.0 | 173 | 2 | 2/122 | 86.50 | 4.21 | 123.00 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 47.0 | 172 | 1 | 1/104 | 172.00 | 3.65 | 282.00 |
