Manjrekar feels Kuldeep should have featured in the first Test against Bangladesh as well.
Team India outclassed Bangladesh in all facets of the game to register a thumping 280-run victory in the first Test match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
With this win, the hosts took an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match series. The second Test is slated to be held in Kanpur from September 27.
Despite the positive outcome, former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar wants the Indian team to change its playing combination.
Manjrekar feels that the Indian team management should consider including Kuldeep Yadav in place of Akash Deep for the final Test.
According to Manjrekar, the left-arm wrist-spinner should have featured in the first Test against Bangladesh as well.
Notably, Kuldeep picked up a five-wicket haul in his last Test appearance against England at Dharamsala earlier this year. His exclusion from the playing XI came as a surprise for the fans, experts and former cricketers alike.
“I feel Kuldeep Yadav should not be dropped so easily. I believe that even if it was not a turner, India would have benefitted from playing Kuldeep Yadav in Chennai because the seamers will get help for just one or one-and-a-half days on an Indian pitch. It starts supporting spinners after that, and when you have a bowler like Kuldeep Yadav, you should not keep him out this easily,” Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo.
“India should go with this approach in Kanpur. Even if it’s a green top and the sun is out, they should keep in mind that the green top will be just for the first few hours, and Siraj and Bumrah are enough for that. When you have three proven spinners, you should play all of them,” he added.
Having made his Test debut in 2017, Kuldeep Yadav has represented India in 12 red-ball matches so far, claiming 53 wickets at an average of 21.05 with four five-wicket hauls. He has played only one Test against Bangladesh, in which he returned with a match-haul of eight wickets.