Kuldeep Yadav: Former batter Robin Uthappa weighed in on wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav’s exclusion from India’s playing 11 during the Test series against England. The visitors leveled the five-match series 2-2.
Kuldeep Yadav: Kuldeep warmed the bench throughout the series. Several former cricketers and experts had slammed India for not playing Kuldeep. However, Uthappa reckoned that fans would have then blasted the captain and management for playing a specialist spinner had batting depth caused issues.
“Put Kuldeep in the 11 and make sure you’re batting is still in a state where none of the fans will go after the team management or the captain. With all due respect to Kuldeep’s prowess with the ball, he’s got limitations to his batting. That’s going to take a lot of effort from his side,” he said on his YouTube channel.
Kuldeep Yadav: He compared Kuldeep to former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin. Uthappa reflected that Ashwin had five to six Test hundreds. He reckoned Kuldeep would have to work on his batting and become like Ashwin in the lower order to fit into the side.
“Ashwin has got 5-6 Test hundreds. If he can do that at the lower middle batting order, say at number eight or nine, then he will certainly play more Tests,” he added.
Kuldeep Yadav: Ashwin scored 3503 runs with six hundreds and 14 half-centuries in the format.
Kuldeep Yadav: Uthappa also lauded young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and called him ‘an absolute cricket nut’. He highlighted the batter’s obsession with the game and what made him a unique prospect.
“I think he’s an absolute cricket nut. He is obsessed with the game, batting, and scoring runs. He has put in the hours and time. That is what makes him a unique prospect for me. He’s a cricket nerd,” he stated.
Kuldeep Yadav: Jaiswal played a key role in the series. The left-hander made 411 runs at an average of 41.10. He struck two hundreds and as many fifties.
Kuldeep Yadav: Robin Uthappa reflects on Indian captain Shubman Gill
Robin Uthappa also opined on Shubman Gill’s captaincy in the series. Gill was appointed as India’s Test captain ahead of the England tour after Rohit Sharma retired from the format.
While Uthappa reckoned that a captain is as good as his team, he also believed that the skipper should rally his troops. He reflected on Gill’s captaincy and highlighted that he was good at times, but also sometimes passive. However, the former batter stated that Gill led the team well and would get better with time.
“There is a difference between being a captain and a leader. We’ve seen Shubman’s captaincy in this series. He’s been really good at some times and inactive or passive at some times. Over a period of time, he will tactically get better,” he said.
“As far as leadership is concerned, he is coming into his own since he started leading the Gujarat Titans. As a leader, he is leading the team well. He is not like a one-man thing,” he added.
The right-hander led from the front with the bat as well. He ended as the leading run-getter with 754 runs and four centuries that included a double hundred. Gill impressed on his very first tour as India captain.
