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On Tuesday, June 24, England defeated India by five wickets to go 1-0 up in the five-match series at Headingley, Leeds. England opener, Ben Duckett starred with the bat, scoring 149 off 170 deliveries, along with vital contributions from Zak Crawley (65), Joe Root (53*) and Jamie Smith (44*) during their 371-run chase on the final day of the opening Test.
However, with a win in the opening Test, England also etched history as it was their second highest successful chase. However, Team India too had their moments as they saw five centurions duing the course of five days. However, their fielding efforts did let them down, along with the lack of support from other bowlers for Jasprit Bumrah, who stood alone as a lone-warrior, picking a five-fer.
I think Kuldeep Yadav has to comeback: Sanjay Manjrekar after Team India’s defeat in 1st Test
Manjrekar, who has been vocal of his opinions time and again, opened up on a possible change the visitors should make. “I think Kuldeep Yadav has to come back. I’m sorry to say, but Shardul Thakur has to go out. That is one change India will have to make,” he said. The former India cricketer also backed Nitish Kumar Reddy, but clarified his stance on his inclusion.
“As for Nitish Kumar Reddy — I backed him for the first Test purely based on what he did in Australia. It’s an unpopular choice, because when he comes in, the balance does get affected a bit. He won’t quite bowl like a fourth seamer, so India needs to take a hard call: even in English conditions, they must go with quality bowlers. If that means playing two spinners, so be it. Pick your best bowlers, irrespective of the conditions,” he continued.
“You don’t have the luxury of someone like Mohammed Shami available, or the full-strength pace battery, so I’d go one seamer short and bring Kuldeep Yadav into the XI. He has to play. Let’s also acknowledge that English summers these days are largely dry — thanks to global warming, perhaps — and that does open the door for spin. In a way, it’s time to reintroduce the idea of India playing spin in England. Ben Stokes has already changed the narrative with common-sense, aggressive cricket. India needs to embrace the same clarity. There was a time when India would play three spinners no matter what — whether in New Zealand or England. If Kuldeep is in your squad, play him. Don’t go with seamers just because you’re playing in England. I’d drop one seamer and bring in Kuldeep Yadav,” Manjrekar reiterated, comparing his stance to the conditions prevalent at the moment.
However, it has to be seen if India will make this change in the second Test, which is scheduled to be played from July 2 to 6 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
