When Captain Rohit Sharma went for the toss in the second Test match at Kanpur’s Green Park, he surprised us with a few decisions. It was expected that whoever wins the toss would choose to bat first, but the Hitman chose to bowl. The second surprise, which is an interesting choice from his side, is that India is playing with the same XI they used in the last game, featuring three seamers and two spinners. This means that the local boy, Kuldeep Yadav, is not playing, even though he was expected to be included. What could be the reason behind his exclusion from the second Test?
Why Kuldeep Yadav is not playing?
As the India captain didn’t provide a reason for why local boy Kuldeep Yadav is not playing, there could be a few crucial pointers. First, India might be going with the winning combination they used in the last game, which included three seamers and two spinners: R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Also , the conditions in Kanpur are currently very similar to those in Chennai, the slightly overcast conditions and damp surface may force the team to stick with the same playing XI. This could be a possible reason for Kuldeep not getting a chance. It is also noteworthy to add that Kuldeep hasn’t played any Test matches at his home ground. The match is also starting one hour late at 10:30 am due to a wet outfield.
India’s playing XI vs Bangladesh
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Bangladesh’s playing XI India
Bangladesh: Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das(w), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed
