After India’s surprising decision to leave out Kuldeep Yadav for the second Test at Edgbaston, senior spinner Ravindra Jadeja has offered his thoughts on the call that raised quite a few eyebrows.
Following India’s heavy defeat in Leeds, the management made multiple changes for the Birmingham Test, including resting Jasprit Bumrah and dropping Shardul Thakur and Sai Sudharsan. While many expected Kuldeep Yadav to finally get a game, especially with India’s inability to take 20 wickets in the series opener, the selectors instead opted for Washington Sundar, prioritising batting depth over wicket-taking prowess.
Gladly, Sundar fulfilled Gautam Gambhir’s faith in him as the southpaw scored 42 runs and was involved in a superb 144-run stand alongside double centurion Shubman Gill. However, it remains to be seen how he goes about it while bowling. Sundar didn’t bowl a single over on Day 2.
What did Jadeja say about Kuldeep Yadav?
Jadeja, addressing the media after Day 2, was asked about Kuldeep’s omission. While lauding Kuldeep’s wicket-taking abilities, Jadeja pointed out a very interesting but sensible reaction that a player should only control the controllables.
“Whenever Kuldeep Yadav gets an opportunity, he’ll do well — he’s a wicket-taker,” he said. “I spend time with him, but whenever we go out, we never discuss cricket. A player should always focus on controlling the controllables.”
Kuldeep has arguably been India’s best spinner in red-ball cricket in the last 18 months, with 118 wickets at an average of 20.74 since December 2022. His ability to extract turn and deceive batters in the middle overs has often tilted games in India’s favour. But the team management, haunted by lower-order collapses in Leeds, opted for Sundar, a more reliable batter at No. 8.
Jadeja also weighed in on the nature of the Edgbaston surface, which has not offered much turn so far. “Even now, I will say that there is nothing in front of me. I haven’t seen a single ball spin in two days. As the game progresses, I hope that the spinner gets more help from such wickets,” he said.
It was fascinating that the duo of Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj turned up early on as they reduced England to 25/3. This has added up to India’s huge advantage in Birmingham, especially after hammering 587 in the first innings.
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