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India spinner Kuldeep Yadav on Tuesday said that rank turners might come into play in the ongoing Test battle against England but admitted that sporting tracks, like the ones seen in the first two games, are "good for cricket". The two sides have assembled in Rajkot for the third Test starting at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium from Thursday, with the series poised at 1-1.
India's Ravindra Jadeja is making steady progress in training after a hamstring injury and the experienced all-rounder would be available for this week's third test against England in Rajkot, spinner Kuldeep Yadav said on Tuesday.
India picked a total of three spinners for the ongoing first Test match against England at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad but Kuldeep Yadav still failed to make a cut into the team. On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel were the ones who were included for the game. At the toss, Rohit informed that the team management had to take call between Axar and Kuldeep Yadav but the former got preference due to his batting ability.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday admitted that the team management had a tough time making the third spinner choice between Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav for the opening Test against England but hinted that the former might just have made the final cut. Behind Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, India are primed to pick a third spinner for the first Test against England, starting here from Thursday.
Rohit Sharma was on Tuesday named captain of the ICC ODI Team of the Year, which featured five other Indians including star batter Virat Kohli and the pace duo of Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj. The team mostly included the World Cup finalists -- India (runner-up) and Australia (winner) -- besides players from semi-finalists New Zealand and South Africa, the ICC said in a statement. The top order includes openers Rohit and Shubman Gill. While the Indian captain accumulated 1,255 runs at an average of 52 last year, the latter struck a brilliant 208 against the Kiwis and also finished as the highest run-scorer (1,584) in the format.
Having got to play only eight Tests since making his debut against Australia in 2017 does make Kuldeep Yadav one of the unluckiest Indian cricketers in recent times. And if the Indian team management under Rahul Dravid follow the "rank turner" template for the upcoming England series starting January 25, Kuldeep can be seen warming the bench at least in the initial stage of the five-match series. India spin great Harbhajan Singh, who is known for his forthright opinions, feels that although in terms of skill and quality Kuldeep will be ahead of the Gujarat left-arm spinner, there is no better choice than Axar if pitches are diabolical in nature.
Former England captain Michael Atherton reckons India's superior spin attack will win them the five-Test home series against Ben Stokes and Co. The first Test begins in Hyderabad on Thursday. England decided to prepare for the tour in Abu Dhabi rather than playing a tour game in India. Only Jack Leach is a seasoned spinner in the England squad with the others being the inexperienced Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed. India boast of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
IND vs AFG Live Cricket Score: Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal are batting in top-gear as India are off to a solid start against Afghanistan in the third and final T20I in Bengaluru. India skipper Rohit won the toss and opted to bat first. India eye a series-sweep as they have already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. India are playing with three changes. Sanju Samson, Avesh Khan and Kuldeep Yadav have replaced Jitesh Sharma, Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel. (Live Scorecard)