Last Updated:
India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has hinted at playing two spinners within the Edgbaston Test, with Kuldeep Yadav prone to feature.
Kuldep Yadav might play against England in Edgbaston (Image: Sportzpics)
India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has said that although the team hasn’t selected the bowling combination for the Edgbaston Test yet, there’s a robust likelihood that two spinners will feature in the sport, putting rest to plenty of expert opinions asking India to incorporate Kuldeep Yadav of their XI.
India went in with a single spin option in Ravindra Jadeja at Headingley, but after a deflating loss to England, the Indian team management appears able to tweak the mix.
Kuldeep, who has a superb record against England, is within the reckoning.
“There’s a really strong likelihood of playing two spinners. It’s just which two we play. All three spinners are bowling very nicely. Washi’s batting goes very nicely. So it’s just which combination can we go along with? All-rounder spinner or the out-and-out spinner? And, you may have to play the bowling all-rounder again,” Ten Doeschate said while speaking ahead of the Edgbaston Test.
India were reliant on ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the primary Test, with him picking up a superb five-wicket haul in the primary innings but receiving little support from the remainder of the attack.
Kuldeep has enjoyed considerable success against England, taking 21 wickets from six Tests at a mean of twenty-two.28.
Kuldeep was crucial in India’s home series victory over England in 2024, the only real blemish on England’s otherwise good record under the Stokes-McCullum captaincy-coaching.
England have struggled against Kuldeep in white-ball cricket too, with him claiming eight wickets in only three T20Is against them at a mean of 9.62.
Picking Kuldeep may force India to sacrifice some batting cushion if Shardul Thakur makes way.
Ten Doeschate confirmed that young allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is knocking on the door as well.
“He’s very near getting a game. He was implausible in Australia, coming into the team and playing the best way he did. We just felt, on balance, for the last game, we desired to go along with the bowling all-rounder,” Ten Doeschate said.
“So we will get a batting all-rounder in. And clearly, Nitish is our premium batting all-rounder in the meanwhile. So I might say it’s a superb likelihood to play this Test,” Ten Doeschate added.
- First Published: