Former India pacer Ajit Agarkar feels left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav would be very disappointed after being omitted from India’s playing XI for the Brisbane Test despite having performed well in Australia in the previous tour.
Kuldeep Yadav ended the Australia tour with just one ODI and one practice game in Sydney after being overlooked by the management for the final Test. The team management decided to hand Washington Sundar and T Natarajan Test debuts after experienced bowlers R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Hanuma Vihari missed out on the final game of the series.
Notably, India head coach Ravi Shastri had backed Kuldeep Yadav as the number one spinner in overseas Tests following India’s historic 2-1 series win in Australia in February 2019. Surprisingly, Kuldeep has not played Test cricket since then.
“He plays overseas Test cricket and he gets five wickets, so he becomes our primary overseas spinner. Going ahead, if we have to play one spinner, he is the one we will pick,” Shastri had told Cricbuzz after Kuldeep picked a five-wicket haul in Sydney. “There is a time for everyone. But now Kuldeep is our frontline number one overseas spinner.”
“Kuldeep would be very disappointed. He should be. After the last Test of the last series, he was the no.1 spinner for India and hasn’t played a Test since I think? If you are going with five bowlers which they have obviously looked at the experience and they had thought we need a little bit more cushion,” Ajit Agarkar told Sony Sports.
“Even in that attack, there is no one like a Mitchell Starc who is out and out a quick bowler. Saini’s probably the only one who has got that little bit of extra pace. Kuldeep does provide the variety and he’s done well before in Australia. Very surprised that he is not playing and he must be very disappointed,” Agarkar added.
