They've got to play Kuldeep Yadav…it is an absolute no-brainer: Michael Clarke
Indian bowling attack in the first Test has looked toothless. Despite the heroics of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj looked off-colour, Prasidh Krishna could not find the ideal length for the placid Headingly surface and Shardul Thakur, who has the knack of picking wickets, could not wield his magic. Although Ravindra Jadeja did find a bit of grip and turn for his wily left-arm spin, he lacked a partner in crime to support him and provide the X-factor.
Former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke said he will play Kuldeep Yadav going forward in the series. 'Bowling-wise, I do not want to be hard on any individual, but I think they've got to play Kuldeep Yadav. I think it is an absolute no-brainer. I think he's a wicket-taker and would have offered a lot more than what he saw the attack do in this Test,' Clarke said on the Beyond23 Podcast.
'India have done this for a while. They care so much about extra batting or stacking the batting deep, and they are willing to risk picking the number one spinner to do that. I think to win in England, you've got to look to pick 20 wickets,' Clarke added.
Former England cricketer Nick Knight, speaking to this publication about the dry summer in England this season, said he will also look to play Kuldeep. 'I would be looking for every opportunity to play Kuldeep Yadav. England will find it hard against Kuldeep. If Kuldeep is on top of his game, that could be a defining moment in the series, or moments, because England likes to be aggressive. When you want to be aggressive, you have to be certain about which way the ball is turning. If there is a little bit of assistance from the pitch, Kuldeep will be able to bowl all his varieties,' he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
31 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Is Kane Williamson the best No 3, far ahead of a generation of slipping, stumbling No 3s?
In between all the major matches of the month that saw the close of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle and the commencement of a new edition, a specific conundrum plagued the top 4 Test teams in the running. Australia, South Africa, England, and India have all contemplated and attempted to address this persistent post-COVID predicament in their most recent outings. When Australia forced a struggling Marnus Labuschagne out to open in the WTC final against South Africa at Lord's, they were only conforming to the developing pattern of troubles for Test cricket's No. 3 this decade. After shuffling between 11 players at the position in the last four years, the Proteas drafted seam all-rounder Wiaan Mulder up to the spot in their three recent matches, including the WTC final, with minimal success. After the slump of Cheteshwar Pujara and Shubman Gill's wavering run at 3 until his captaincy takeover, India ushered in Sai Sudharsan as the latest try-out against England at Headingley. The left-hander became the first of 18 Indian batters to have recorded a duck on Test debut at No. 3. Resisting most to the temptation were England, sticking to their 35-averaging Ollie Pope over a precocious Jacob Bethell offering, and Pope turned up with his ninth Test ton at Leeds. The hallowed stable of the legendary Don Bradman, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid and Kumar Sangakkara has witnessed marked degeneration with each passing decade this century. The collective batting average of Test cricket's No. 3s has plummeted below 35 in 190 Tests in the last four years, a staggering dip from the 44.77 average across the first 461 Tests this century (between 2001-10). While batters across the nine WTC-playing countries have encountered harsher conditions more frequently in the last six years, no position in the top six has been under greater scrutiny than the man marked one down, primed to compose all flavours of batting into that one revered spot that has also witnessed the highest individual score (400*) in history. With as many games played in the WTC as in the five years before it began in mid-2019, no top-6 batting position has witnessed a decline in average runs by more than two, except the No. 3s, poorer by 4.6 runs/innings. The 2020s mark a period where one cannot truly brand and bracket any No. 3 into the same exalted club as their predecessors. There are few exceptions, but none without their chinks and specific filters to define success. Not too long ago, Labuschagne was galloping over every No.3 with distinction, averaging 66 (high of 82.61 while crossing 1000 runs) after 44 innings in early 2023. The 45 innings since have drawn a phenomenal freefall, with his averages dropping down to 48.83 at No. 3. Labuschagne's successor in the role, Cameron Green, has endured an iffy initiation, scoring no more than 15 in his first four innings. It is curious how the drop-offs affected the health of this particular top-order position to such a degree. It can be argued that they brave tougher new-ball spells in this era, but with openers and first-wicket stands not sustaining a striking dip in overall contributions in the two periods, it all narrows to the faulty one-down bats. Even the stoic Pujara's defences were breached more often at home, his overseas shares failing to string consistent knocks together. Between 2012 and 2019, Pujara tallied 5151 runs at exactly 50.0 at No. 3 with 17 centuries and 21 half-centuries – averaging 60.39 at home, and 39.82 away. In his last 26 Tests between 2020-23, Pujara raised 1306 at 30.37 at No. 3 – 928 of them overseas at 36.89. Among the most prolific run-scorers at home in his prime, the Saurashtra batter got 314 home Test runs at a meagre 24.15 average in this phase. Having topped the charts for most runs at No. 3 between 2011-19, Kane Williamson averaged 54.57 in that period across 68 Tests. The Kiwi averaged north of 60 at home and forged an equally impressive haul with more runs (3013) away, averaging 49.33 with 10 centuries. The former Black Caps skipper has only buttressed his record at No. 3 with a staggering 71-plus average in the last five years, alien to the rest of the miserable No. 3 syndicate. But in a heavily skewed aggregation, Williamson has courted Bradmanesque levels at home in this time, smashing 1948 at 88.54 – making up 71 per cent of his total runs since 2020. Limited to only 16 away innings in this time, Williamson accorded 668 runs adjusted to 44.53 but heavily influenced by an unbeaten 200 not out on a Karachi flatbed three years ago. India skipper Gill and England's Pope are the only other active No. 3s to cross 1000 runs since 2020, with their uncannily identical averages at 37.74/37.75, respectively, suggesting inconsistent players capable of the occasional spurt of brilliance. With 'C/*' captaincy added to his profile, Gill has subtly moved down the roster, turned a corner and opened an entirely new chapter in his red-ball career. Despite his first-innings hundred against India last week, it is unclear whether Pope can pontificate Bazball through the whole summer, all the way to an away Ashes and beyond. Test cricket batting seems to be holding shape for now. But its No. 3s are in desperate need of that liberator, the one glorious figure to define a generation and lay down the standards for the rest of the world to catch up to. Lalith Kalidas is a Senior Sub-Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Working with the online sports desk, Lalith specializes in the happenings on the cricket field, with a particular interest in India's domestic cricket circle. He also carries an affinity towards data-driven stories and often weaves them into cricketing contexts through his analysis. Lalith also writes the weekly stats-based cricket column - 'Stats Corner'. A former cricketer who has played in state-level tournaments in Kerala, he has over three years of experience as a sports journalist. Lalith also covered the 2023 ODI World Cup held in India. ... Read More
India.com
44 minutes ago
- India.com
After Rishabh Pant, another star cricketer punished by the ICC due to…
West Indies pacer Jayden Seales after claiming a wicket on Day 1 of 1st Test vs Australia. (Photo: AP) The International Cricket Council (ICC) have come down hard on another cricketer for the second time in two weeks. In the first instance, India's Rishabh Pant has been hauled up in he first Test vs England at Leeds last week. On Friday, it was the turn of West Indies pacer Jayden Seales to pay the price in Bridgetown, Barbados. Seales, who claimed a five-wicket haul in the first innings of first Test against Australia, gave an aggressive send-off to Australian captain Pat Cummins on Day 1 of the Test. Seales has now been fined 15 per cent of his match fee and was given one demerit point for his fiery send-off to Pat Cummins on the first day of the opening Test against Australia in Bridgetown, Barbados Jayden Seales fined 15% of his match fees for giving a send-off to Pat Cummins. — Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 27, 2025 He breached Level 1 of the ICC code of conduct and a demerit point was added to Seales' disciplinary record as it was the second offence in a 24-month period, according to the International Cricket Council. Why was Jayden Seales fined by the ICC? According to the ICC's code of conduct, Seales was in breach of article 2.5: 'using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match.' There was no need for a formal hearing as the 23-year-old pacer admitted the offence and accepted the sanction, the ICC said in a statement. The incident took place on the opening day of the match on Wednesday when Seales gestured in the direction of the dressing room after dismissing Aussie skipper Cummins for 28. Seales, who claimed 5/60 to help dismiss the visitors for 180 in their first innings, was earlier handed one demerit point during a Test match against Bangladesh in Kingston, Jamaica, last December. Rishabh Pant was reprimanded from breaching Code of Conduct Meanwhile, Indian wicketkeeper and vice-captain Pant had been reprimanded and handed one demerit point for arguing with the umpire about the change of ball in the first Test against England at Leeds. Pant was found to have breached Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to 'showing dissent at an Umpire's decision during an International Match.' In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Pant's disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period. The incident occurred towards the end of the 61st over of England's first innings, when the umpires checked the shape of the ball with the ball gauge and decided not to change it. Pant showed dissent at the umpires' decision by throwing the ball on the ground in front of the umpires. Pant admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
'Are we seeing the decline of Ravindra Jadeja?' Gambhir told to 'be bold' and demote all-rounder, look for alternatives
With the retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja has become India's frontline spinner in Tests. But is it really the way to go about it? India head coach Gautam Gambhir has been asked a serious question from the Australian shores and told to make bold calls if he wants his team to save the series after losing the opener to England by five wickets. Jadeja, once a lethal bowling pair alongside Ashwin, is 36, and against all expectations, proved ineffective in the Headingley Test. Conditions in England are such that playing two spinners is as rare as India winning a Test series there. So if the opportunity provides, why not prioritise a better spinner, a specialised spinner? Ravindra Jadeja, left, is walking on thin ice(Reuters) Former Australia wicketkeeper batter Brad Haddin makes some valid points about Jadeja, wondering if the India all-rounder is slipping down. There was a time when Jadeja was undroppable – heck, after 2017, his batting peaked, and he even scored a century during the 2022 Birmingham Test, albeit India lost. But when on the final day, Jadeja picked just one wicket, unable to make the most of the rough outside off-stump to the left-hander, Haddin feels that leaving him out for Kuldeep Yadav is a move India should be willing to make. "Are we seeing the decline of Ravindra Jadeja? I mean yes he is effective in Indian conditions and how hard it is to play left-arm spin in India but I don't think he is the best option to have in the team spin wise. I would look at Kuldeep. Someone who is an attacking spinner, who can get wickets. You've got a couple of hold-in bowlers. Siraj can play that role but I think they need to be a bit more bold in their selection of bowlers," Haddin said on the LiSTNR Sport podcast. Why Nitish Reddy's inclusion can lead to India dropping Ravindra Jadeja? Besides, Jadeja, India have a few decisions to make before the second start kicks off on July 2. If Bumrah, according to a report, is rested, who should replace him? What about Shardul Thakur? Will he still be persisted with? The questions become all the more intriguing given the fact that more than capable guys are waiting in the wings, such as Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep, Nitish Reddy and Kuldeep. Shardul's lackluster outing – yes, he picked up two wickets, but it didn't make much of a difference – should pave the way for Reddy, which in turn, could lead to Jadeja's ouster for Kuldeep. "If Reddy plays, then you don't have to play Jadeja and bring the attacking spin option. I think that's one thing they've got to look at, especially away from home. I don't think Jadeja can be effective. Yes, he is good all-rounder and he could play as a second spinner – hold at the other end. But I think they need to be more attacking, be willing to lose a Test match with some inexperienced bowlers but change their mindset at the way they go about it," added Haddin.
