Ex-England cricketer shares sneak peek into 'emerald green' wicket at Manchester, reiterates support for Kuldeep Yadav

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Former England all-rounder and head coach David Lloyd offered a glimpse into the wicket that is being prepared for the fourth Test against India, which gets underway next Wednesday where the Shubman Gill-led visitors will be aiming to level the series with a game to spare. read more
Former England all-rounder David Lloyd has urged India to include left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav for the fourth Test against England that gets underway on 23 July. Reuters
Former England cricketer and head coach David Lloyd offered a glimpse into the pitch that is being prepared for the fourth Test between England and India at Manchester's Old Trafford that gets underway next week. While the wickets prepared at Headingley and Edgbaston were featherbeds where plenty of runs had been scored, the one for the third Test at Lord's offered plenty of movement for the quicks while also challenging batters with uneven bounce.
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It was because of the slightly tricky conditions later in the Lord's Test that both teams were shot out for less than 200, with India failing to chase down a target of 193 and handing the series lead back to their opponents with a 22-run defeat.
'Bumble' offers sneak peek into 'emerald green' wicket in Manchester
In his column for Daily Mail, former all-rounder Lloyd – who represented England in nine Tests and eight ODIs – described the wicket being prepared in Manchester for the fourth Test that gets underway next Wednesday as 'emerald green'.
However, 'Bumble', as he is affectionately known, also cautioned at the same time that the wicket might not retain that look going forward, and a lot of the grass might disappear come match day.
'I've been at Emirates Old Trafford and had a sneak preview of the pitch. At the moment, it is emerald green but don't worry. All of that grass will be off by next week,' Lloyd wrote in his column.
Lloyd calls for Kuldeep's inclusion in crucial fourth Test
Lloyd, who had coached England from 1996 to 1999, also joined the chorus calling for the inclusion of left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the Indian XI at Manchester.
Kuldeep is yet to make an appearance in the ongoing series despite Indian spin legends Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh as well as batting icon Sunil Gavaskar calling for his inclusion.
'It (pitch) should be easy paced to start off with but we will get another five-day pitch and a result. India must play Kuldeep Yadav. Fingers crossed, the weather behaves. There's a hosepipe ban in some areas up north!' Lloyd added.
Kuldeep's inclusion, however, has become a lot more difficult after spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar collected 4/22 at Lord's in addition to his handy knock of 42 in the second Test at Edgbaston.
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Left-arm finger spinner Ravindra Jadeja remains a permanent fixture in the XI, mainly due to his red-hot batting form that has helped him collect four consecutive half-centuries, including a heroic 61 not out during India's chase of 193 at Lord's.