Kuldeep Yadav will have his work cut out against Root, Foakes: Brad Hogg

Brad Hogg reckons Indian left-arm leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav might have to work a bit harder to get the better of England batsmen Joe Root and Ben Foakes, should he get an opportunity to play in the second Test in Chennai.

Root dished out an absolute masterclass in how to play spin in the first Test, scoring his fifth double hundred.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Foakes is also known to be a good player of spin bowling. He was the player of the series when England beat Sri Lanka 3-0 in their own backyard back in 2018.

Foakes is set to replace Jos Buttler for the rest of the Test series as the latter heads back to England as a part of their player management policy.

In a video on his YouTube channel, former Australian spinner Brad Hogg stated that Kuldeep will have to chalk out a different plan to tackle the duo.

"The only issue I have there is that he (Kuldeep Yadav) doesn't get that extra bounce and with the likes of Foakes, who is coming in to back-up Buttler, who is a very good sweeper of the ball and the likes of Joe Root, Kuldeep Yadav will have his work cut out there," Brad Hogg said.

Team India will have to play Kuldeep Yadav in the second Test: Brad Hogg

Kuldeep Yadav had picked up five wickets in his last Test

After the end of the first Test, Indian skipper Virat Kohli explained that since the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar spun the ball into the right-hander, playing Kuldeep Yadav wouldn't have given the hosts any variation.

However, Brad Hogg felt left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem was ineffective in the first Test. If Axar Patel is not fit in time for the next game, Hogg believes Team India need to play Kuldeep.

"Kuldeep Yadav is a left-arm leg-spinner. He also brings the ball back into the right-hander. So you've got three bowlers, bringing the ball into the right-handers which is an issue. But I think with the way that Nadeem bowled in that first Test match and if Axar Patel is not fit, I think you will have to go with Kuldeep," Brad Hogg asserted.

Just two years ago, Kuldeep Yadav was touted as India's first choice spinner in Tests. Now, he's battling to stay afloat. But he needn't look too far for inspiration. Ashwin & Pant too fought back from periods of self doubt. Stay strong Kuldeep!
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) February 5, 2021

Kohli and his men have their backs against the wall after a crushing 227-run defeat at home. This has significantly damaged their chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final.

The hosts will need to win at least two of their remaining three Tests and avoid defeat in the other encounter to seal their place in the WTC final.

Only time will tell whether Team India can stage a comeback similar to the recent one against Australia Down Under.