Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has backed the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav for the second Test match against England. Kaif noted that earlier the wrist spinner could not get his chances as Ravichandran Ashwin was part of the team.

Yadav 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.

There is no doubt that Kuldeep will be a wicket-taking option especially in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah if the latter is rested to manage his workload.

Mohammad Kaif wrote on X, “It will be unfair if Kuldeep Yadav doesn’t get into the playing XI for second Test. He has just played 13 Tests in 8 years. Earlier he was kept out because of Ashwin now how do you justify his exclusion.”

Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja played as a solitary spinner in the opening Test against England. But, the experienced spinner failed to prove his mettle, taking a single wicket in the second innings after going wicketless in the first. Jadeja also could not exploit the rough outside Ben Duckett’s off-stump and failed to hit the right areas in the second innings.

Duckett played the reverse sweep against the left-arm orthodox spinner with great success and scored a match-winning knock of 149 runs in the run-chase of 371. 

But it has been reported that India might back Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar as the two spinners in the second Test against England. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who impressed on the Australian tour, is expected to replace Shardul Thakur in the starting XI.

The second Test match between India and England will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham from July 2nd onwards.