NEW DELHI: Former Australian captain Michael Clarke and ex-England cricketer Nick Knight have called for spinner Kuldeep Yadav’s inclusion in India’s bowling attack after the pacers underwhelmed in the first Test at Headingley. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, who stood out, the rest of the Indian bowlers struggled on a placid surface that offered little help.The pace unit looked ineffective, with Mohammed Siraj delivering a below-par performance and Prasidh Krishna failing to find the right length. Shardul Thakur couldn’t make his usual impact, while Ravindra Jadeja managed to extract some turn but lacked adequate support from the other end.“Bowling-wise, I do not want to be hard on any individual, but I think they’ve got to play Kuldeep Yadav. I think it is an absolute no-brainer. I think he’s a wicket-taker and would have offered a lot more than what he saw the attack do in this Test,” Clarke said on the Beyond23 Podcast.
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Clarke also criticised India’s selection mindset. “India have done this for a while. They care so much about extra batting or stacking the batting deep, and they are willing to risk picking the number one spinner to do that. I think to win in England, you’ve got to look to pick 20 wickets,” Clarke said.
Knight echoed similar sentiments, especially considering the dry English summer. “I would be looking for every opportunity to play Kuldeep Yadav. England will find it hard against Kuldeep. If Kuldeep is on top of his game, that could be a defining moment in the series, or moments, because England likes to be aggressive. When you want to be aggressive, you have to be certain about which way the ball is turning. If there is a little bit of assistance from the pitch, Kuldeep will be able to bowl all his varieties,” he said.The second Test between India and England is scheduled to be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham from July 2.
