India coach breaks silence on Gautam Gambhir’s mistreatment of Kuldeep Yadav, controversial Test selection calls
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Indian coach Gautam Gambhir's adamant three-pacer strategy has been under scrutiny in England, as Morne Morkel opened up on the absence of Kuldeep Yadav and hinted at a possible reconsideration of selection tactics post the England tour.
India is on the brink of another series loss in England. They have failed to win a single series since 2007 on English soil and are currently trailing in the series with a margin of 2-1, with a threat of the third defeat looming over them in the series, with some action awaited on the final Day of the Oval Test.
Gautam Gambhir has been adamant about his Test calls and selections despite a very weak performance from the Indian team in red-ball cricket ever since his arrival. India lost against New Zealand, Australia, and now probably England; this would mark the third series defeat for India in Tests since Gambhir's appointment as the coach.
Gautam Gambhir's adamant 3-pacer strategy has been under scrutiny
India and the head coach considered sticking to the three-pacer strategy for the final Test at The Oval and hence had to overlook Kuldeep Yadav throughout the England series. This sparked several debates both inside and outside the dressing room.
Ever since the first Test at Headingley, India has resorted to bringing in Washington Sundar to aid Ravindra Jadeja as the second Indian spinner. Considering they both are all-rounders, Sundar has bowled on very few occasions, while Jadeja has bowled some considerably longer spells.
India had a clear strategy to prioritize pace bowlers, as they played Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Shardul Thakur at Leeds. After some changes, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna formed the trio for the second Test.
With Bumrah's return at Lord's, India opted to go with Bumrah, Akash Deep, and Siraj as the frontline pacers alongside Nitish Kumar Reddy as the regulatory fourth seamer in the side. The Manchester Test marked Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj paired alongside debutant Anhsul Kamboj and Shardul Thakur.
India has cited batting depth as the primary reason to prioritize the likes of Shardul Thakur or Nitish Kumar Reddy over Kuldeep Yadav. In the final Test, Gautam Gambhir went on with an additional specialist batter instead of opting for Kuldeep's return to the playing 11.
Kuldeep Yadav's absence from the England Tests has baffled Cricket pundits
Before the beginning of the series, there were quiet expectations that Kuldeep Yadav would feature on the Indian side as a specialist spinner, especially because his slow, unorthodox wrist-spin style would have posed a challenge in front of the attacking English players.
After every Test, several cricket pundits had that one call in their mind: bring back Kuldeep Yadav. Former cricketers like Michael Clarke, all called for the possible inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav.
However, ignoring all such pleas, Gautam Gambhir decided to continue with three pacers and the two spinners in Jadeja and Sundar. He also opted for a fourth seamer on several occasions, but never had Kuldeep in his plans.
As the series reaches its end with England poised for a victory of 3-1, scrutiny around India's selection calls, especially the continued omission of Kuldeep, is expected to grow louder.
Morne Morkel opens up on possible reassessment of selection tactics
After Day 4 went largely in England's favour, the Indian bowlers offered some resistance towards the last session, keeping the game to the final Day, with England needing just 35 more runs.
In the post-match press conference on Day 4, India's bowling coach, Morne Morkel, explained the reason behind the repeated selection calls.
“To be honest, that’s been part of our conversation before every match. Heading into the Tests, given the nature of the wickets and the overhead conditions in the early days, we felt going in with the extra batter was important,” Morkel said.
“In the last couple of games, our fourth seamer didn’t bowl too many overs anyway, and with Washi and Jadeja both capable of bowling long spells, we leaned towards strengthening the batting."
"But yes, these are things we will reflect on at the end of the tour—the areas we could’ve handled differently,” Morkel concluded with a possible hint towards a change in selection strategies.
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