Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra expressed disappointment after the selection committee did not include Kuldeep Yadav in Team India’s squad for World Test Championship final and five-match Test series against England.
BCCI on Friday (7th May) announced the 20-member squad for the World Test Championship final and the five-Test series against England post that.
With few big names missing, Kuldeep Yadav was among those who did not feature in the 20-member squad that will board the flight to England.
The young chinaman bowler has found himself on the sidelines since the India tour of Australia, where he did not get to play a single Test despite a plethora of injuries in the Indian contingent.
He, however, featured in India’s playing XI in one of the four Tests against England, in which he struggled to find his mojo back.
I didn’t get good rhythm, had no idea what length to bowl versus England, says Kuldeep Yadav
Apart from international cricket, Kuldeep Yadav did not get to play even a single match for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the now-suspended IPL 2021.
While talking about Kuldeep Yadav’s exclusion from the Indian squad, Aakash Chopra said that the leg spinner’s exclusion from the squad is a harsh call as he hasn’t played too much cricket.
"Personally, even Kuldeep Yadav's exclusion is a little harsh. He has not played too much cricket, so to make the formal opinion that he does not make the cut, I feel that he is a little hard done by.
"He bowled only one Test against England, on a raging turner. Picked up a couple of wickets at the end. Did not play the pink-ball Test. Now he is not playing the entire series,” Aakash Chopra said during a discussion on ESPNCricinfo.
Chopra further questioned the selectors for not picking Kuldeep Yadav in the squad despite being allowed to pick large squad during COVID times.
“Not just the WTC final, but also the five-match Test series against England. In Covid times, you have the luxury of playing larger squads, so why not Kuldeep Yadav,” he said.
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Aakash Chopra opined that a wrist spinner against England would have been a better option than four finger-spinners.
“You get as many as four-spin bowling options - Ashwin, Jadeja, Sundar, and Akshar Patel - but all of them are finger-spinners. So, why not a wrist-spinner against a side that tends to struggle against them," he concluded.
Team India will face New Zealand in the WTC final, which will be played from June 18-22, with 23rd being a reserve day. After that the Virat Kohli-led side will engage in a five-match Test series against England, starting 4th August.
(ESPNCricinfo inputs)
