Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai
Utility all-rounders > specialists — it is a common fallacy that the Indian team under Gautam Gambhir as head coach apparently has stuck to. For a spinner as skilful and impactful as Kuldeep Yadav, ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ should have been the chorus. It has become ‘The Waiting’ (of the Tom Petty vintage) instead.
Kuldeep made his Test debut in March 2017. Nine years down the line, he has played only 18 matches in the longest format. So far, over a period of close to a decade, he has featured in 121 ODIs and 54 T20Is respectively. For a significant chunk of his career, there was no room, especially in red-ball cricket, with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja owning the spin department. But it has been nearly two years since Ashwin retired from international cricket, while Jadeja is now a one-format player. Kuldeep is still biding his time on the bench. In December this year, he will turn 32.
Last season India went to England for a five-Test series and returned with a 2-2 result. Creditable on the face of it, but scratch beneath the surface, and India probably missed an opportunity to beat England in their lair. The pitches didn’t quite resemble the All England Lawn Tennis Club courts. And yet, Gambhir and skipper Shubman Gill (it was only his first series at the helm) opted to play ‘all-rounders’ under the pretext of not compromising with the batting depth. From a distance it felt like a couple of games for Kuldeep, and England were there for the taking.
Cut to July this year and Kuldeep was once again relegated to carrying drinks during the three-match ODI series. India lost it 2-1. In the final game at Lord’s, the tourists went with four specialist bowlers. Gurnoor Brar batted at No. 8, but Kuldeep was still warming the bench.
“Kuldeep is the only genuine spinner in this side, while others, be it Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel or Washington Sundar, are spin all-rounders,” former chief selector MSK Prasad said, speaking to RevSportz. “And he is a genuine match-winner — the record speaks for itself. Kuldeep should be in the team’s scheme of things across all three formats.”
Kuldeep is part of the Test squad that will play a two-match series in Sri Lanka this month. India have a four-pronged spin attack comprising Jadeja, Kuldeep, Manav Suthar and the newcomer Saransh Jain. The pitches are expected to offer turn and once again, Kuldeep could be caught in a quagmire.
Jadeja is an automatic pick. An overload of left-handers in the Sri Lankan batting line-up might tempt the Indian team management to play off-spinner Jain. He is also a very capable batsman, having achieved the double of scoring 500 runs and taking 30 wickets in a Ranji Trophy season. So, the third spinner’s spot might come down to a contest between Kuldeep and Suthar. The latter made an impressive Test debut against Afghanistan in June.
“Yes, Suthar bowled well on his Test debut, but with Jadeja back for the Sri Lanka series, he could have been kept on the sidelines,” Prasad said. “He played the Test against Afghanistan because Jadeja was rested. There was no harm if he were waiting in the wings on this tour. See, a chinaman bowler is a rare breed. And not often do you get a bowler of Kuldeep’s control and skill set. He should play across formats.”
The whole irony is that Kuldeep always walks a tightrope despite being the country’s best spinner.
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