"Kuldeep Yadav might not be the 3rd spinner" - Sanjay Manjrekar backs Axar Patel over the wrist spinner for the 1st Test

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar feels that Kuldeep Yadav might not feature in the playing XI even if the Men in Blue decide to play three spinners in the first Test against Australia.

The left-arm wrist spinner has been in excellent form, particularly in white-ball cricket, where he has staked a claim over Yuzvendra Chahal. Kuldeep put in a player-of-the-match display in his last Test appearance, which came against Bangladesh in December 2022.

He claimed eight wickets and scored crucial runs with the bat down the order as well, but that was not enough to warrant him a place in the second Test. He was replaced by Jaydev Unadkat, who made his national team return after a decade.

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Opining that Axar Patel will be Team India's third spinner should they head in that direction, Manjrekar said on ESPN Cricinfo:

"Kuldeep Yadav might not be the third spinner if the team are looking to play three spinners. Axar Patel will be the third spinner."

Speaking on Team India's combination for the first Test against Australia in Nagpur, which Manjrekar believes to be dependent on the pitch, the 57-year-old said:

"Jadeja and Ashwin will come at No.7 and No.8, so there will be enough depth in the batting. As far as the bowling combination goes, either they will play two spinners and three seamers or three spinners or two seamers."

Manjrekar added:

"If the pitch is a rank turner, then Ashwin and Jadeja might be enough. Shami and Siraj are the two set seamers in the playing XI."

Ravindra Jadeja's last Test appearance came against England in July 2022. He was ruled out for a significant while after suffering a knee injury during the 2022 Asia Cup in August 2022. The ace all-rounder featured in a Ranji Trophy contest for Saurashtra to prove his fitness and is in contention to make it to the Indian playing XI straightaway.

"Shubman Gill is in tremendous form, so there will be pressure on KL Rahul" - Sanjay Manjrekar

One of the selection conundrums that Team India are currently battling is the curious case of the in-form Shubman Gill.

The youngster is in the form of his life at the moment and even proved his red-ball credentials with a century in the second Test against Bangladesh. However, with the return of KL Rahul, the decision on the opening combination has become trickier.

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There is an outside chance that Gill could feature in the middle order due to Shreyas Iyer's injury, but Suryakumar Yadav is also a credible option waiting on the sidelines.

Noting that either Rahul or Gill could open the batting with Rohit Sharma for the first Test, Manjrekar said:

"Rohit Sharma is back obviously, so he will open. Shubman Gill is in tremendous form, so there will be pressure on KL Rahul. So it is either one of KL Rahul or Shubman Gill at the top for me. Since Iyer is not there, I have kept Suryakumar Yadav at No. 5."

The first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will start in Nagpur on Thursday, February 9.

What will be Team India's spin bowling combination for the first Test? Let us know what you think.

Also Read: "Our top batters are probably the envy of the cricketing world" - Sunil Gavaskar on Team India's batting strength