India, after tasting victory in the first Test, are facing off against the Shakib Al Hasan-led Bangladeshi men in the second Test, which kicked off on December 22, Thursday. Much to the surprise of the Indian fans, Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wrist spinner, was dropped and Jaydev Unadkat, the left-arm pacer was brought in.
To add more to Kuldeep’s contributions in the first Test, the veteran picked up a five-for in the first innings and carried on with the momentum, to pick up a three-for in the second innings, playing a vital role in the KL Rahul-led team’s victory. While many opined that it was a good decision to bring in a left-armer, others claimed that it was unfair to leave the spinner out.
To comment on the second Test, it was the Bangla Tigers who won the toss and elected to bat first. The Indian captain Rahul opened up on the decision behind dropping Kuldeep and said that it was a much-deserved opportunity for Unadkat, who has been doing exceptionally well in domestic circuits.
There is some grass that you can see: KL Rahul
Notably, fans were unhappy with the team management’s decision to drop Kuldeep who was the Player of the Match in the previous match, given that the cricketer has been extremely vital for team India’s victory. The Indian team would hope to have him back for the Border Gavaskar trophy, knowing that there would a two-month gap until the next Test match.
“We’d have done the same. To be honest, on seeing the surface, not sure what to make of it. There is some grass that you can see, but it’s generally good to bat here. There is generally some bounce here and some help for both pacers and spinners. We’d have wanted to bat first but we aren’t sure what to expect. Just need to play good cricket,” Rahul was quoted as saying at the toss.
“Need to bowl well in the first innings. It does seem damp and we need to get early wickets. 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,” he added.
As things stand, let us take a look at a few Twitter reactions to Kuldeep Yadav getting dropped for the second Test:
Shame on this team management
— Manjyot Wadhwa (@Manjyot68915803) December 22, 2022
And no one gonna ask any questions to Rahul Dravid and team management?
Agar shastri hota toh sab maarne pahunch jaate— Rohit Kumar (@skipperrkohli) December 22, 2022
Coach Dravid is the worst thing happen to ICT in recent times.
— Abhishek ? (@AbhiManchare) December 22, 2022
Random decision. Axar could have made way for him..
— Krishna Kumar (@KrishnaFootball) December 22, 2022
Vahi to, Management aur captain bevkoof hai kya, captain ko maang karni chaiye us player ki ?
— Ayush_Shukla (@ayushshukla2021) December 22, 2022
Guess what it's not Kohli-Shastri's decision.
— Saresh ?? (@CricSar) December 22, 2022
Ridiculous decision
— Tejas Baranwal (@BaranwalTejas) December 22, 2022
