As India get the fifth and final Test against England underway at The Oval, their squad selection continues to draw attention, but not just for who made it to the XI, but also for who didn’t play at all.
Three players — Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh and Abhimanyu Easwaran — have gone through the entire five-Test series without featuring in a single match.
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Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep was in the mix early on, especially with his improved red-ball form. But India chose to go with all-rounder options and stuck to a pace-heavy attack throughout the series, keeping him on the bench for all five Tests.
Arshdeep Singh, who was dealing with an injury in during the tour, was in contention for the final Test after regaining fitness. However, with Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and debutant Akash Deep preferred as pace options, the left-armer didn’t get his Test debut either.
For top-order batter Abhimanyu Easwaran, it was a familiar story yet again. A regular in India’s standby group for overseas tours, Easwaran was part of the extended squad but never broke into the XI.
Among those that didn't play, the exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav raised questions time and again, with fans and pundits alike expressing their disapproval of the same. Ahead of the final Test, the spinner's exclusion seems to have stemmed out of a tactical decision.
The conditions at The Oval appear to have played a big role, given that since the start of 2023, there have been 22 first-class matches at this venue. Seamers have taken 617 wickets in those games, while spinners have managed just 79. The trend is even more one-sided this season, with 131 out of 150 wickets falling to pace.
With India desperate for the win, fans would be hopeful that this tactical gamble pays off, and India secure a thrilling win.
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel(w), Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope(c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue
Three players — Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh and Abhimanyu Easwaran — have gone through the entire five-Test series without featuring in a single match.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep was in the mix early on, especially with his improved red-ball form. But India chose to go with all-rounder options and stuck to a pace-heavy attack throughout the series, keeping him on the bench for all five Tests.
Arshdeep Singh, who was dealing with an injury in during the tour, was in contention for the final Test after regaining fitness. However, with Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and debutant Akash Deep preferred as pace options, the left-armer didn’t get his Test debut either.
For top-order batter Abhimanyu Easwaran, it was a familiar story yet again. A regular in India’s standby group for overseas tours, Easwaran was part of the extended squad but never broke into the XI.
Among those that didn't play, the exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav raised questions time and again, with fans and pundits alike expressing their disapproval of the same. Ahead of the final Test, the spinner's exclusion seems to have stemmed out of a tactical decision.
The conditions at The Oval appear to have played a big role, given that since the start of 2023, there have been 22 first-class matches at this venue. Seamers have taken 617 wickets in those games, while spinners have managed just 79. The trend is even more one-sided this season, with 131 out of 150 wickets falling to pace.
With India desperate for the win, fans would be hopeful that this tactical gamble pays off, and India secure a thrilling win.
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel(w), Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope(c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue
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