By Shamik Chakrabarty at Eden Gardens
Ten players are all but locked in. The question remains over the remaining spot. Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, or Axar Patel, it’s a three-pronged puzzle facing the Indian team ahead of the first Test against South Africa starting here at Eden Gardens on Friday.
At the pre-match press conference, Shubman Gill, the India captain, was asked whether, given the nature of the pitch, it would be difficult to decide between going with three spinners or three fast bowlers.
“This time of the year, there’s always that conflict, whether to play an all-rounder or an extra spinner. We will decide tomorrow,” said Gill. “The way we saw the wicket today (Thursday), it looked a bit different from yesterday (Wednesday). Overall, it’s a good pitch, a typical Indian wicket.”
The very mention of an all-rounder brings Axar into the equation. The spin-bowling all-rounder didn’t get a game in the home series against the West Indies. If he plays, Kuldeep Yadav might have to be sacrificed. “Once again, you have to wait until tomorrow,” said Gill with a smile.
The Eden Gardens pitch is expected to assist the spinners as the match progresses. The team management doesn’t look at Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar purely as spinners and rightly so. They are genuine spin-bowling all-rounders. So, it could come down to choosing one between Axar and Kuldeep if the hosts decide to go with three spinners. In case Akash Deep plays as the third seamer, the axe might fall on the left-arm wrist-spinner.
As RevSportz already reported, Dhruv Jurel is a certainty in the playing XI. Nitish Kumar Reddy has been released from the squad and will feature in the white-ball series against South Africa A.
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news