The only change India made in playing XI for the second and final Test against Bangladesh happened to be the most controversial one. Kuldeep Yadav, one of the architects of the victory in the first game, was unceremoniously dropped in favour of bringing an extra pacer Jaydev Unadkat.  

While fans are obviously happy with Unadkat’s inclusion after almost twelve years, they were not pleased that it came at the cost of Kuldeep, who looked in a great rhythm the last match. Kuldeep was a part of a three-man spin attack, consisting of R Ashwin and Axar Patel, and outperformed both of them.  

“We made one change – Kuldeep misses out and Unadkat comes in. Unfortunate decision for us to leave him (Kuldeep) out but it’s an opportunity for Unadkat,” Rahul was quoted as saying during the toss. 

After Mohammed Siraj plucked out the top order, Kuldeep tore through the middle order of Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, and Nurul Hasan, before claiming two more in his final burst to complete his third five-wicket haul. He carried on his touch to the second innings, picking three more wickets. 

It was Kuldeep Yadav’s first Test appearance in over 22 months. Since making his Test debut against Australia in 2017, Kuldeep has only played eight Tests. Ashwin Jadeja continue to be the frontline spinners, and when the latter got ruled out, Axar Patel broke into the team, and his Test average is among the best in the world.  

Though it’s harsh on the leggie, it is understandable why India went ahead with Jaydev Unadkat, given the Mirpur pitch had a noticeable grass covering, and the pacers did manage to get an extra bounce. Moreover, Kuldeep doesn’t provide much to the team with the bat, like Axar and Ashwin.  

“Why does this happen so often to Kuldeep Yadav? You can’t be doing this to him again and again. Please some one put an arm around his shoulder and tell him not to lose heart. Yes. It’s tough being Kuldeep Yadav. Spare a thought for him,” wrote Dodda Ganesh, the former Indian cricketer.  

Lead Image: BCCI