The Indian team management has come under the scanner over Kuldeep Yadav’s omission from playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh, which got underway in Dhaka on Thursday (December 22).
The wrist-spinner was adjudged Player-of-the-Match for his eight wickets in India’s comprehensive 188-run victory over Bangladesh in the series opener in Chattogram.
For the second Test, however, India preferred to go with three fast bowlers and Kuldeep was dropped at the expense of left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat.
After the end of the first day’s play, veteran speedster Umesh Yadav addressed a press conference, where he said that Kuldeep’s exclusion is a management’s call and it is something every cricketer has to deal with.
“It’s part of your journey. It happened to me also. Sometimes you are out of the team because of performance and sometimes it’s a management’s call. You have to go with the team’s requirements,” Umesh told reporters.
“It’s good for him (Kuldeep) that he came back and performed well (in the first Test in Chattogram).”
Talking about the second Test, India were 19/0 at the close of play on Day 1, with Shubman Gill and KL Rahul unbeaten in the middle on 14 and 3 respectively.
Earlier, the visitors rode on Umesh Yadav (4-25) and R Ashwin’s (4-71) four-wicket hauls to bundle out Bangladesh for 227 in the first innings.
Unadkat, who made his return to Test cricket after more than a decade, also returned with a couple of wickets, including the prized scalp of Zakir Hasan, who slammed a century on debut in the first Test.
“When he (Unadkat) made his debut I was with him in South Africa. So, I’m very happy for him that he finally got his chance. He has performed well in the domestic season,” said Umesh.
“When he came into bowl with the new ball, the ball was doing a bit, many balls took the nick of batter’s gloves,” he said of Unadkat, who recorded the bowling figures of 2 for 50 in his 16 overs.
“We knew that Unadkat is used to bowl on these types of wickets and can swing it both ways. So he just had to keep bowling in the right areas and test the batters’ patience.”
Asked if the Indian bowlers had it easy against the Bangladeshi batters, Umesh said: “No batting lineup is easy, you just can’t come and get them out. Test cricket is the toughest format. You have to keep bowling and batting well. Test cricket is all about patience.”
“It’s a 50-50 kind of wicket. It’s not fully for the pacers or the spinners. Some of the balls are doing something and some not doing. We have to be patient and bowl in the right areas. The odd ball is bouncing from the back of length,” he said about the pitch.
(With PTI inputs)
