Kuldeep Yadav is in serious consideration to play the fifth Test at The Oval, RevSportz understands. The left-arm wrist-spinner, who hasn’t yet got a game in the ongoing England-India series, might come in for Anshul Kamboj, whose average speed was under medium-pace in his debut Test in Manchester. A final call will be taken after having a look at the pitch and two practice sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. The fifth Test starts on July 31.
After India’s spectacular jailbreak at Old Trafford, the five-match series is still alive, going into the decider, with the hosts leading 2-1.
The Indian team management faced a lot of criticism for not playing Kuldeep, a world-class spinner and the team’s second-best wicket-taking option after Jasprit Bumrah. With the latter stingless in Manchester, England scored 669 in their first innings. During the game, Morne Morkel, India’s bowling coach, told reporters that the team was trying to fit Kuldeep into the mix.
“So Kuldeep, we are trying to find a way for him, but it is just that more consistent runs from our top six that we want so that we can bring a guy like Kuldeep in,” Morkel had said.
India’s batting line-up — KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja to be precise — gave a masterclass in resilience in the second innings at Old Trafford. Especially Washington’s assured performance could be a factor in India trusting their batting a bit more. But there’s a catch. Not having a game-changer like Rishabh Pant — ruled out of the series owing to a fractured metatarsal — is a big blow and although Dhruv Jurel is a capable batter, he is never a like-for-like replacement for a special player like Pant.
This might see Indian retain Shardul Thakur to add meat to the lower-order. Kamboj, who looked like a fish out of water in Test cricket, is unlikely to get another game. There’s a school of thought that with winning being the only option, a genuine wicket-taker like Kuldeep should be included, notwithstanding an overload of spinners in the XI.
Spinners traditionally get purchase at The Oval as the game progresses, and the extra bounce is expected to aid a wrist-spinner like Kuldeep. A lot, however, will also depend on whether Bumrah plays or not.
At the post-match press conference in Manchester, Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, confirmed that all the fast bowlers were fit. Then again, it was decided even before the start of the series that Bumrah wouldn’t be playing more than three Tests, with an eye on his workload. Two consecutive Tests, at Lord’s and Old Trafford, seemed to have taken a toll on Bumrah’s body despite a seven-day gap. The turnaround time between the fourth Test and the fifth is just three days. If the team’s premier fast bowler opts out, Akash Deep is likely to replace him.
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