Former India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin came out to bat for two spinners in the form of Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav – to feature in the first Test against England commencing from August 1 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
Meanwhile, there has been a lot of buzz going around the playing XI for the opening Test. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah’s unavailability came as a major blow to the Virat Kohli-led side.
Traditionally, India plays only one-spinner in overseas conditions. And with chinaman Kuldeep bagging 14 scalps in limited-overs series, many are rooting to go with him.
However, Azharuddin feels India would be better off playing both Ashwin and Kuldeep against the Three Lions.
“He (Kuldeep) is performing so he should be picked and the England side is struggling (against) him. Ashwin and (Kuldeep) Yadav should play. I don’t think Jadeja will make the cut,” Azharuddin told PTI.
Azharuddin cited if the pitches are green then it’s okay to go with one spinner. But he eventually feels the surfaces will get dry and spinners will be handy in the last two days of the Test fixture.
The 55-year-old Mohammad Azharuddin also reckons it will be tough for English bowlers to go past the formidable Indian line-up.
“England will find it very difficult to dislodge India because they don’t have a good bowling attack. We have a very strong side. The only chance England will have is if they give green tops, but if they give green tops they will also struggle because we also have very good swing bowlers,” he concluded.
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