New Delhi: Former opener Gautam Gambhir is surprised at India’s selection policy. The decision to play left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem in place of Kuldeep Yadav in the first Test against England in Chennai has surprised Gautam Gambhir. He calls it a bit ‘unfortunate’ too.
Nadeem was drafted into the Test squad after all-rounder Axar Patel was ruled out of the first Test with a knee injury. He was picked to partner the two off-spinners in the squad – Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar. No doubt, the decision has given depth to the Indian batting. However, even then Gambhir said that Kuldeep should have been in the playing XI as he could have made an impact right away.
“Little unfortunate on Kuldeep’s part. They should have actually picked Kuldeep against England. A left-arm wrist spinner is a unique commodity. He’s been with the team without playing much. He would have been a great asset,” Gambhir was quoted as saying by ‘ESPNCricinfo’.
It should be stated here that Kuldeep did not get a game in Australia despite being fit. He was in the original Test squad. Even though others bowlers were drafted in, Kuldeep was not considered.
Kuldeep’s last match was two years ago in 2019 in Australia. In that match, he managed a five-wicket haul.
“You got to use him first up in the series. You don’t want to wait for the second or third Test because a lot of times we’ve seen how a wrist spinner can actually turn the game. So it’s a bit unfortunate and surprising as well. Also Kuldeep can turn the ball both ways and that is a huge asset,” Gambhir said.
“India are playing two off-spinners. Yes, probably they wanted a little more depth in the batting at No.7 and No.8. So it’s a massive surprise. I would have picked Kuldeep any day. Whether it’s a right-hander or a left-hander, it really doesn’t matter when you’ve got a left-arm spinner who can take it both ways,” Gambhir added.