Michael Clarke, ex-captain of Australia, really wants India to put Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wrist-spinner, in the team for the rest of the Test series against England. Clarke thinks it’s super obvious that Kuldeep should play, saying he’s good at grabbing wickets no matter what the pitch is like.
In the first Test, India only went with Ravindra Jadeja as their spinner. But the all-rounder didn’t do so hot, only getting one wicket total. Even with some rough spots that were good for him, especially against lefties, Jadeja couldn’t make the most of it. England won without too much sweat, getting to 371 and taking the lead at 1-0.
Talking on the Beyond23 Podcast, Clarke was pretty blunt. For bowling, I don’t want to be too tough, but I think they have to play Kuldeep Yadav. It should be super obvious. He gets wickets and would’ve been way better than what the team did in this Test, said Clarke, who won the World Cup in 2015.
Clarke didn’t like that India seems to care more about having more batters than having good bowlers. India’s been doing this for a while. They really care about having extra batters and will risk not picking their best spinner for that. But to win in England, you need to take 20 wickets, he said.
He also said Jasprit Bumrah needs more help. Bumrah was awesome in the first innings with five wickets but didn’t get any in the second. Clarke said Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna weren’t consistent enough, giving away too many easy balls.
Bumrah’s a star and he’s leading the bowlers. But the other three, even though they bowled okay sometimes, need to find better ways to get wickets. They probably need to be better at what they’re doing, Clarke said.
About Jadeja’s not-so-great game, Clarke said, Jadeja didn’t do as I thought he would. I thought he’d be better, especially in the second innings, at making the most of the rough spots outside the left-hander’s off-stump. But he bowled a bit too straight.
The second Test starts on Wednesday, July 2, at Edgbaston.