Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja will play their last Test for India in Mumbai!! Sanjay Manjrekar claims

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar reckons that both the spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja can be in the same Playing XI during the five-match Test series in Australia.

Manjrekar also spoke about Kuldeep Yadav's unavailability in India's squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Kuldeep is suffering from a chronic left groin issue and will go to the BCCI Centre of Excellence after the ongoing Test series against New Zealand to heal this problem.

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Sanjay Manjrekar speaks about India's spin-bowling combination

While speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar reckons that India's superior fast bowling attack comprising of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj allowed them to play with just one spinner in the team earlier.

But with Siraj not in great form and Shami out of the series due to an injury, India's bowling attack looks inexperienced. Manjrekar feels that the Men in Blue might play both the spinners to strengthen their bowling attack.

"Very rarely (Ravichandran) Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja have played together whether to South Africa or Australia. So, that hasn't happened much in the past because India were so confident about the quality they had in their bowling attack because of the three seamers," Sanjay Manjrekar said.

"(Mohammed) Siraj was bowling superbly, (Jasprit) Bumrah, you know, (was) perfection personified, and Mohammed Shami. So, they could afford to with one spinner and a little more batting depth."

"Now because Siraj's form has dipped a little bit, there is no Shami, I think there will be a little more focus on the spinners and they might play two spinners irrespective of the pitch because there is a little more quality available there rather than seam," he added.

Will Ashwin and Jadeja feature in the XI irrespective of Australia's pitches? 🤔#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/6KeK0TIAHc

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 30, 2024

India's pace attack for Australia Tests

India have gone with an inexperienced pace attack this time with spearhead Jasprit Bumrah the most experienced one. Mohammed Siraj made his Test debut during the last Australia tour.

Akash Deep has played just a handful of Tests so far while Prasidh Krishna has played just two Tests so far. The other fast bowler Harshit Rana is yet to make his Test debut. Rana has the pace and can generate good bounce on Australian pitches with his height.

Sanjay Manjrekar on Kuldeep Yadav's unavailability

Sanjay Manjrekar further spoke about the unavailability of Kuldeep Yadav during the tour. The cricketer-turned-commentator feels that a wrist-spinner with some skills would have been crucial on Australian pitches.

However, he reckons that India is used to playing without the left-arm wrist-spinner and will not miss him too much. According to him, Kuldeep would have found it difficult to get into the Playing XI because of the presence of the experienced spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

"When you play in Australia, you need a spinner with some skills in the air, a bit of bounce as well. A wrist spinner has always done well in Australia. So, Kuldeep Yadav will be a huge miss," Sanjay Manjrekar noted.

"But considering India's reluctance to play Kuldeep Yadav, it's not like one main batter is missing or Bumrah is missing, where you would think that "it's a huge setback" because Kuldeep Yadav has not played regularly for India. It's almost like India is used to play without Kuldeep Yadav despite his exceptional skills," he explained.

Kuldeep Yadav has played 1 Test in Australia so far. However, he made an impression in the only innings he has bowled in Australia. The left-arm wrist-spinner finished with 5-99 in the only innings he bowled in Sydney during India's tour of Australia in the 2018-19 season.

India will play a five-match Test series in Australia beginning on November 22 in Perth. The next four Tests of the series will be played in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.