Kuldeep Yadav or Axar Patel? India forced to make one change for Kanpur Test due to this reason

India are likely to make at least one change in their Playing XI for the second Test match against Bangladesh. The pitch at Green Park, Kanpur is made of black soil and is likely to provide more assistance to the spinners as compared to the fast bowlers.

The pitch at Kanpur is in total contrast to the one in Chennai, where the first Test was played. Red soil was used for the first Test as it offered bounce and good seam movement for all the fast bowlers.

Bangladesh's pacer Hasan Mahmud picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings while India's bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah picked up four wickets in the first innings. The other bowlers from both sides were in the game as well.

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Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel in the scheme of things

But the Kanpur pitch will assist the spinners and India are likely to bring one more spinner to add to their lethal spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. It means India are likely to go with three specialist spinners for the match.

The Indian Express has reported that no grass will be left on the pitch on instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief curator Ashish Bhowmick. The pitch will be good for batting and will assist the spinners as the game goes on.

As a result, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are in the scheme of things. One out of these two spinners is likely to get a game. Kanpur is the home ground of Kuldeep Yadav in domestic cricket which may prompt the selectors to go with his left-arm wristspin.

Kuldeep Yadav also provides variations to the team with a wrist-spin option. When the wicket is flat, he has the ability to make things happen with his skills. Kuldeep Yadav was impressive in India's last Test series against England where he picked up 19 wickets in 4 Tests at an average of 20.15.

On the other hand, India also have the option of playing Axar Patel. While Axar Patel's inclusion won't provide India the variety in their bowling attack, it will surely strengthen the batting line-up.

Over the years, Axar Patel has developed into a quality allrounder capable of producing match-winning performances with both bat and ball in all formats. On slow pitches, he can be a handful with his angle and speed.

Which player will make way?

The inclusion of an extra spinner also means that one out of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep will be dropped from the Playing XI. All of these fast bowlers had their moments during the first Test with Bumrah being the pick of them.

Bumrah picked up five wickets in Chennai across two innings while Siraj and Akash Deep got two wickets each. But unfortunately, one of these will have to sit out. Currently, Akash Deep seems to be the option who will be dropped unless India opt to rest Jasprit Bumrah.

Bumrah is currently India's bowling spearhead and one of the most important players in the team. The right-arm quick has been exceptional across formats in the last few months and will be a key player in the upcoming Tests against New Zealand and Australia.