Middle-order batsman Hanuma Vihari believes left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav should be in the playing XI for India’s second Test against Bangladesh at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur as the black soil pitch needs variety in the spin bowling department. Kuldeep, who has taken 53 wickets in 12 Tests since his debut in 2017, did not play in India’s 280-run win over Bangladesh in the first Test in Chennai as India preferred a combination of three pacers and two spinners. But his knowledge of home ground conditions makes him a must-have bowler for India to include in the playing XI.
“They will probably make changes – they might play an extra spinner in place of a pacer. I think Kuldeep should play in the playing XI because if you have all finger spinners, I don’t think you will get much help from the Kanpur pitch – it won’t deteriorate as much as Chennai because the black soil takes a lot of time to deteriorate.”
“Eventually it gets better as we have seen against New Zealand as well where they managed to draw the Test match against India in Kanpur. So I think they need variety and Kuldeep Yadav will be included in the playing XI as it is his home ground as well.”
“He knows the conditions here best, so I think it is not a difficult task – if the wicket doesn’t offer anything for the pacers or there is no grass on the pitch then I think Kuldeep should be picked straightaway as one of the pacers,” Vihari, an expert with Geo Cinema and Sports18, told IANS on Thursday.
India have played 23 Test matches in Kanpur, winning seven of them while 17 have been drawn. With the ground known for its slow, low and batsman-friendly black soil, Vihari believes bowlers will be put to a tough test in Kanpur.
“Based on my experience of playing and watching matches in Kanpur, I think it will be a slower wicket than Chennai. It will have less bounce than Chennai because there they used to play on a red soil pitch which had more bounce. But the Kanpur pitch will test the bowlers.”
He said, “They have to be really patient to take wickets and batsmen will get a good time in Kanpur as compared to Chennai. So I think it is all about patience and whoever can maintain it for a long time, we will have a good result. Obviously, India have a good experience of playing in Kanpur, although it was a draw against New Zealand in 2021.”
The foundation of India’s spectacular victory in Chennai was laid by a brilliant 199-run partnership between Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 113 and 86 runs respectively. The duo also took 11 wickets together and played a key role in the hosts’ spectacular win in Chennai and consolidated their top spot in the World Test Championship.
It won’t be wrong to say that Ashwin and Jadeja are the backbone of India becoming a strong team in home Test series. “Ashwin and Jadeja make a huge difference to the Indian batting order, especially if you talk about the overall impact – what they have made is second to none. They are one and two of the best all-rounders in the world, but the impact they make with the bat is huge.”
“In the first innings in Chennai, when India were in trouble at 144/6, Ashwin scored a hundred and bailed India out of a difficult situation. Even Jadeja has batted really well in recent times when we have gone on overseas tours. He has been our best batsman in the last couple of years, so that’s the kind of impact he is making.”
“I think it is the experience and confidence that they have gained by playing international cricket for so many years. There is no substitute for experience and that is what they have gained over the years. They have been playing together for more than a decade – they understand each other, even with the bat when they bat together. So, the confidence and experience that they have gained by playing Test cricket is showing now,” said Vihari, who has played 16 Test matches for India.
When the Kanpur Test begins, Ashwin will again be in the news for delivering a match-winning all-round performance for India. “His performance speaks louder than I can say because he has been one of India’s greats – taking over 500 wickets and then scoring his sixth century in Test cricket – the way he is playing is commendable.”
Vihari said, “He was working on his game while playing in the TNPL and that’s where he found his batting form. We always knew Ashwin as a bowler, but I think his batting has also improved. It sounds strange, but he is 38 years old and still working on his batting. Also, in Tests, not only the runs, but the way he scored – this is his fastest Test century now – shows that he has worked on his game, stroke play and it was clearly evident in the way he was playing in Chennai.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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