Former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar has backed the visitors to make two changes to their playing XI for the fourth Test match against England. Vengsarkar wants Shubman Gill’s team to include Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav in place of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar.
While Reddy has failed to deliver with the bat in the last two Test matches, he did a decent job with the ball at Lord’s. Sundar, on the other hand, bagged four wickets in England’s second innings of the third Test but his efforts went in vain as India suffered a 22-run loss.
Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh is yet to make his Test debut but suffered a cut to his hand while practising at Buckenham. Furthermore, Kuldeep has scalped 56 wickets in 13 Test matches at an impressive average of 22.16. Against England, Kuldeep has bagged 21 wickets in six Test matches at an impressive average of 22.28.
The former Mumbai batter wants India to back five bowlers in the Old Trafford Test.
“I would drop Nitish Reddy and perhaps one more player to make room for Arshdeep. I think Siraj and Bumrah should keep their places, but Reddy could make way. Kuldeep Yadav could also replace someone like Washington Sundar. You need five bowlers in a Test match to win it. If your six batters can’t put up a good total, the bowlers need to take responsibility. You can’t win a Test match with part-time bowlers,” Vengsarkar said in an interview with RevSportz.
“I would pick Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav. Arshdeep is a good left-arm bowler who can move the ball in the air and off the wicket, which is crucial in English conditions. He can also reverse swing the ball, which is important. I have seen him bowl,” he added.
On the other hand, Karun Nair has failed to deliver in the first three Test matches against England. Nair returned with scores of 40 and 14 in the third Test match. The 33-year-old has scored 131 runs in three Test matches against England in this series at an average of 21.83 and Vengsarkar wants India to give one more chance to Nair.
