Shamik Chakrabarty in Ahmedabad
To play Kuldeep Yadav or not to play him, that is the question. Shubman Gill, the India captain, kept his cards close to his heart when asked about the left-arm wrist-spinner’s presence in the playing XI in the first Test against the West Indies that starts here on Thursday. About the team composition, his answer felt like a soliloquy.
“Yes, given how the weather looks like and how the conditions are, we would be tempted to have a third seaming option,” the skipper thought aloud, at the pre-match press conference. “But I think there is still some time for the Test and I think once we come tomorrow in the morning and see how much moisture is there in the wicket, we will take a call.”
‘Green, green grass of home’ could be the tagline of this Test. The surface for the series opener at Narendra Modi Stadium is one of the greenest in India in recent times. With a bit of rain around, it also looks a little damp. Conditions underfoot and overhead might queer Kuldeep’s pitch. If he misses out, the tweaker will have every reason to consider himself the unluckiest man on the planet.
Kuldeep is not a dime a dozen spinner. He is elite, with the ability to be a match-winner in every format of the game. Even on a green pitch, he can make the ball talk. For the current team management though, it’s about picking a combination that doesn’t upset the batting depth. The scars of an unprecedented home series whitewash against New Zealand last year haven’t healed yet.
Nine players are locked in. The competition is for a couple of places. Who would be the third seamer, Nitish Kumar Reddy or Prasidh Krishna? The former bowled a lot during practice on Tuesday and playing him comes with the added benefit of having a capable batter down the order. Prasidh is a mug with the bat, and when he is not bowling well — rarely does he hit his straps — he concedes about five runs per over in red-ball cricket.
The remaining slot appears to be a tight race between Kuldeep and Axar Patel. The latter’s all-round ability provides a better balance. But against West Indies — no disrespect to them and it’s based on recent form — the hosts probably don’t need batting depth up to No. 9.
Kuldeep’s omission in the Tests in England caused public outrage. On the face of it, the decision reeked of fearful thinking. Then again, the team management was trying to make up for a Virat Kohli-sized hole in the batting line-up. With Kohli in the side, Kuldeep probably would have played at least three Tests in England. Without him, the team management opted for extra batting cushion and a 2-2 scoreline vindicated their decision.
England was Gill’s first assignment as Test captain. Against the West Indies, he would be leading India at home for the first time. And an embarrassment of riches makes his job tougher. “When you have such quality in your team, someone like Kuldeep, who is such a wicket-taker for us in all the formats, didn’t get a chance to play in England which was very unfortunate,” said the skipper. “Here, I think playing four spinners, and spinners of such quality when you have Washington (Sundar), (Ravindra) Jadeja, Kuldeep and Axar (Patel), you are always tempted. But you also have to look at the batting depth and you have to look at how the wicket is going to play, and you have to just weigh in your options; which player can give you a little bit more on that kind of a surface.”
The bottom line is that arguably the best spinner in the world skates on thin ice, playing XI-wise, yet again.