"They've got to play him..."-Michael Clarke says India must play Kuldeep Yadav if they want to win in England

Kuldeep Yadav has played just one test in England.

Both former England cricketer Nick Knight and former Australian captain Michael Clarke have argued in favour of adding spinner Kuldeep Yadav to the Indian Cricket Team‘s bowling lineup for the forthcoming test match against the England Cricket Team.

Their appeals follow India’s pacers’ lacklustre showing in the opening test match at Headingley, where only Jasprit Bumrah was able to have a significant effect.

India’s pace assault appeared to be mainly ineffectual on a flat field that provided little support. Prasidh Krishna struggled to find the correct length throughout his stints, and Mohammed Siraj gave a poor showing.

He’s a wicket-taker – Michael Clarke on Kuldeep Yadav

Shardul Thakur was unable to exert his customary effect, and Ravindra Jadeja was unable to generate enough momentum from the opposing side to exert consistent pressure.

“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.

Clarke also questioned India’s mindset in the selection of their playing XI, opting for batting length instead of strengthening their bowling attack.

“India has 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.

If Kuldeep is on top of his game, Nick Knight urges India to play Kuldeep Yadav

Knight echoed similar sentiments, especially considering the dry English summer. Kuldeep Yadav has played only one test in England so far.

“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.

India and England’s second test match is set to begin on July 2 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

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