With Virat Kohli out, India Cricket Team is all but set for IND vs ENG 1st Test, barring one spot. India head coach Rahul Dravid said the Hyderabad pitch is likely to have turn as the match progresses. However, he is unsure whether it will be a rank-turner or spin from Day 1. And if that is the case, Rahul Dravid will have to take a call on whether to bring in Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav or Mukesh Kumar.
If the pitch isn’t a rank-turner, Mukesh Kumar will form a three-man seam attack. He will line up with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. However, if the pitch offers turn from Day 1, Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma might be tempted to go with either of Axar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav in India Playing XI.
“Hard one to say anything about the nature of pitch. We will have a look once it starts and figure it out. It looks a good one from what I’ve seen. But may spin a little bit. How quickly and how fast, I’m not sure. But it might spin a little bit certainly as the game goes on,” Rahul Dravid said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Axar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav
The role of a leg-spinner in Tests has been fairly limited in India. That Kuldeep Yadav has played only four Test matches at home since 2017 is a testament to that fact. However, with Ravindra Jadeja a left-arm spinner and Ravichandran Ashwin, an off-spinner, Kuldeep Yadav can add variety to the spin department.
While Kuldeep may not have had a good run in the Test, he has been excellent in ODIs. He was India’s top wicket-taker in 2023 in ODIs with 49 scalps in 30 matches. And 32 of them came in home ODIs. Hence, he can still add value.
However, Axar Patel is the clear frontrunner if India Cricket Team go with three spinners. At home, Axar Patel has 42 wickets in only 10 matches including five 5-wicket hauls. In the last India vs England Test series in 2021, Axar Patel picked up 27 wickets in just three Tests including four fifers.
| Player | Mat | Wckts | Best | 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axar Patel | 10 | 42 | 6/38 | 5 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 4 | 16 | 5/57 | 1 |
Mukesh Kumar for IND vs ENG 1st Test?
The choice is pretty clear if India go with three seamers. Even though he has had a lukewarm start in Tests, Mukesh Kumar has had a great domestic career and could be the man for the job ahead of an inexperienced Avesh Khan.
Mukesh Kumar has 155 First Class wickets at an average of 21.42 in 41 matches.
