Anil Kumble and Kuldeep Yadav. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
With Ravindra Jadeja out of action for the second Test of the five-match series against England, Kuldeep Yadav is likely to make his return to the playing XI. Despite playing Ravichandran Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar Patel in the first Test, India lost the match by 28 runs and are currently trailing 1-0 in the series. Following this, Kumble opened up on the idea of playing Kuldeep, who has 34 wickets to his name in eight Test matches.
The former India skipper stated that Kuldeep’s variations might help the Rohit Sharma-led side in Vizag for the second Test but he isn’t quite sure if the hosts should play four spinners in the middle. He also mentioned that the surface for the second Test might once again assist the spinners and the pace will be quicker on the wicket.
“I am not really sure whether you need a fourth spinner. But if India feels that they need only one fast bowler then having Kuldeep will certainly help. He will have variations but England will come and do the same things they did in Hyderabad. The wicket could be a turning one and we are expecting the pace to be quicker than this,” Kumble said on JioCinema.
India certainly needs to buckle up with their approach: Kumble
The 53-year-old complained about India’s approach in the first Test in Hyderabad and expects them to buckle up in the second match of the series. He mentioned that the approach of certain batters was not up to the mark and their footwork too was not what he expected it to be.
“This was slow but it was a good wicket if you applied yourself. India certainly needs to buckle up with their approach to playing against spin because I felt the approach of a couple of batters wasn’t positive and even the footwork wasn’t what you expected,” Kumble added.
Notably, the second Test of the series will begin on February 2.