KOLKATA: Former captain Sourav Ganguly on Thursday believed India may have missed a trick by not playing Kuldeep Yadav at Lord’s and Manchester, as quality spinners come to the fore on the last two days of a Test match.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep didn’t get a single game in the ongoing five-match Test series against England.
“I wish Kuldeep had played in Manchester, had played at Lord’s and even in Birmingham because without quality spin you would find it hard to get teams out on day four and five of a Test,” Ganguly told reporters here.
Ganguly cited as example the fourth Test in Manchester where the Indian lower middle-order batters frustrated the English bowlers, playing out 143 overs to force a draw on a fifth day pitch.
“You saw what happened to England when India batted on a pitch which had a bit of rough and on a pitch which had a bit of turn – there wasn’t a quality spinner so England could not get 20 wickets.
“In the past, great sides had great spinners, whether it’s Shane Warne, Murali, England’s Swann, Panesar, India’s Kumble, Harbhajan, Ashwin. So, I think Kuldeep is someone India will have to continue to look into playing in the future.”
Ganguly, however, felt it was okay for India to leave out Kuldeep for the fifth Test, as the wicket might offer more assistance to the pacers.
He also expressed confidence that India would win the final game and level the intensely fought series.
“England have gone on with four pacers and no spinners, it could be that they have left a bit more grass on it than the normal surface and that’s why India have not gone with a third spinner because they have Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.
“I’m just presuming and have not seen the wicket.”
Ganguly also urged fans not to pass a judgement on Anshul Kamboj after just one game, and expressed surprise at seamer Mukesh Kumar’s absence.
