Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel questioned the underutilization of hometown hero Mohammed Siraj as the hosts succumbed to a 28-run defeat. the visitors took a 1-0 lead in the five-match IND vs ENG series after clinching a thriller.
IND vs ENG: Patel offers alternate perspective ft. Siraj
Speaking on Jio Cinema, Patel opined that India could have included a pure batter if they planned to use Siraj only for 7 overs. Parthiv put forth a different perspective involving Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, pitching for the latter’s inclusion over the former.
“There is no doubt that 3 spinners are enough, but I have a different perspective. You have used Siraj for only 6 or 7 overs throughout the Test match. Axar Patel played ahead of Kuldeep Yadav due to his batting abilities, as mentioned by Rohit Sharma before the Test match. If you need variety, you could pick Kuldeep ahead of Axar,” Parthiv told Jio Cinema.
He further claimed that India could have included a pure batter instead of using Siraj only for few overs through the game. He added there was no point of including the pacer for him to bowl only 7 overs. Patel said that a pure batter along with Jadeja, Ashwin and Kuldeep could increase India’s batting depth.
“And if you are not using Siraj much, then why not play an extra pure batter. So, you will have three types of bowlers in Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep, and the extra batter will add depth to the batting. And there’s no point playing someone if you are going to give him only 7 overs,” he added.
