Kuldeep Yadav is a better option than Washington Sundar: Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra has said he would prefer the Indian team to play Kuldeep Yadav ahead of Washington Sundar in the final Test against England.
Kuldeep Yadav made a comeback in the Indian Test XI for the second Test in Chennai after a two-year hiatus. However, Sundar was picked ahead of him for the pink-ball Test as the Indian team looked to strengthen their batting.
While previewing the fourth Test on ESPNcricinfo, Aakash Chopra was asked if India should play Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, or Kuldeep Yadav for Jasprit Bumrah.
The cricketer-turned-commentator responded that he would go for a three-pronged spin attack and would prefer Kuldeep Yadav over Washington Sundar for his wicket-taking abilities.
"I will not play four spinners because when you played three, you gave Washington Sundar only four balls including both the innings. You should definitely play three spinners. You should ask yourselves a question if you need Washington or Kuldeep because the ball has changed now. It will be red-ball cricket now and you had dropped Washi after the first Test only because he had not bowled well. He had scored 85 there as well. You had included him to get batting depth in the pink-ball match. It is not fair on either of them but you should pick a bowling lineup which can take 20 wickets, where I feel Kuldeep is a better option," said Aakash Chopra.
"I will want to play Siraj instead of Umesh Yadav" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra also cast his vote for Mohammed Siraj ahead of Umesh Yadav to replace Jasprit Bumrah in the Indian playing XI. He reasoned the former has match time behind him while the latter is returning after an injury sustained in the Boxing Day Test.
"I will play Siraj as the fast bowler and only because he has come after playing in Australia, played the last three Tests there and here also he has already played a Test match. Because he is in match practice, I will want to play him instead of Umesh Yadav, who had got injured in the Melbourne match and has not played a first-class match since then. So, if it is a matter of just one match, then why not Siraj," observed Chopra.
It will be interesting to see if the Indian team opts to play a second specialist seamer if the pitch is likely to assist the spinners. They may consider including Hardik Pandya in the playing XI in such a scenario to bolster their batting, which has failed to score the big runs in the ongoing series.