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Why Kuldeep Yadav should be picked ahead of Ashwin on the England tour

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Kuldeep has played 2 Test matches for India so far picking 9 wickets.

As the England tour approaches, it is time for India to get all their first-choice players fit and match-ready. With current England side fresh from an Ashes humiliation and series defeats against New Zealand and Pakistan, this series seems to be the best chance for India to defeat the Englishmen in their own backyard.

Bowling will play a key role in determining India’s success on the tour. With the English conditions being seam-friendly, India will bank on seamers to do the job. Like batting, bowling too is all about partnerships, supporting each other in tandem. Spinners might not be playing a decisive factor this series.

Generally, you don’t expect spinners to pick 10 out of 20 wickets on English soil to win you a Test match, but the way they build pressure at the other end enables the fast bowlers to trouble batsmen. For India to win the Test series in England, spinners need to do to England what Moeen Ali did to India in 2014. 

Ravichandran Ashwin seems to be the automatic choice as the genuine spinner. However, considering the success that Kuldeep has enjoyed in recent times, it would be unfair to totally rule out Kuldeep’s chance of featuring in the playing XI. 

Making his debut in March 2017 against Australia, Kuldeep has made a major impact in the 2 Test matches he has played for India so far picking 9 wickets. In his first-class career, Kuldeep has picked 90 wickets from 24 games at 31 apiece

In this article, we will see why Kuldeep should be picked ahead of Ashwin in England Tests.


Ability to turn the ball on any surface

Not too long ago, skipper Virat Kohli came up with the statement that said that Kuldeep and Chahal could turn the ball on any surface This is the level of confidence that Kohli has got in his two young leg-spinners.

While the pitches in South Africa were dry and hard, Kuldeep managed to bamboozle Proteas on their home soil, something that no Indian spinner has ever done before. India needs a bowler like Kuldeep in English conditions who can turn the ball enough to beat the batsmen, for, without turn, spinners on English surfaces are easy pickings.

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