Manjrekar wants Kuldeep in the XI even on the green wicket of Kanpur
Four pacers, four spinners India's selectors have kept Chennai's squad unchanged for the Kanpur Test. But former Indian cricketer
Manjrekar wants Kuldeep in the XI even on the green wicket of Kanpur
Four pacers, four spinners—India's selectors have kept Chennai's squad unchanged for the Kanpur Test. But former Indian cricketer and current commentator and cricket analyst Sanjay Manjrekar called for a change in the XI in Kanpur.
What is the change that Manjrekar wants? The team has four outstanding spinners — Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Akshar Patel. Manjrekar suggested to play three of them. Asks Kuldeep to take Ashwin and Jadeja with him. Kuldeep was not in the XI in Chennai. Two spinners, Ashwin and Jadeja played alongside the three pacers Yashprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj and Akash Deep.
Ashwin and Jadeja are not just spinners, they are essentially spinning all-rounders. In the first innings in Chennai, losing 6 wickets for 144 runs, when India's batting was in disarray, Ashwin and Jadeja came forward with the bat. Both of them scored 199 runs in the seventh wicket. Ashwin scored 113 runs off 113 balls, Jadeja was dismissed for 86 runs. India also scored 376 runs in the first innings before being all out.
Two of the three spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are all-rounders. Then Kuldeep can only be taken as a spinner in the Kanpur Test. But Kanpur is expected to have a green wicket. The selectors of India decided not to keep him in the eleven because this wicket of Chennai was not so spin-friendly. But right at the end the spinners got help from the wicket.
Manjrekar, however, feels that Kuldeep should be kept in the XI regardless of the wicket. He told journalist, 'I think it is not so easy to keep Kuldeep Yadav sitting. I believe India should have taken advantage by playing Kuldeep Yadav in Chennai had the wicket not been turning. Because, on the Indian pitch, seamers will get only one to one and a half days. Then the wicket started helping the spinners.
Manjrekar then added, 'India should play with this attitude in Kanpur. Even if the pitch there is green and the sun is behind the clouds, they have to remember that the green wicket (of the pacers) will only help for a few hours and Bumrah and Siraj are enough to take advantage of it. When you have three tested spinners, all three should be played.'
