Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 14 : Ahead of India's first Test of the five-Test series against England at Leeds, former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin said that Kuldeep Yadav should be played in the series, especially in the absence of moisture on the pitch.
Ashwin was speaking to Revsportz' Boria Majumdar. The first Test of the England tour will kickstart at Leeds from June 20. This will mark the start of India's ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle 2025-27.
Speaking to Boria, Ashwin said that India have lost Tests in the past despite playing their best bowlers because their batters did not play well. However, if their batters do well, the bowling attack will win them matches.
"If they do not leave moisture on the pitch, then I think Kuldeep Yadav would be a certainty. And if there is moisture in the pitch, then also Kuldeep should be there. Jasprit Bumrah should be number one, alongside Ravindra Jadeja, for control, and who can bat in the top five or six. And then, Kuldeep Yadav. This bowling attack can dismiss any batting lineup in any conditions. Not to forget Mohammed Siraj, who is like a warhorse," added the legendary Indian cricketer, who retired from international cricket last year mid-way through India's tour to Australia.
While Kuldeep played one match in England back in 2018 and went wicketless, he has a fine record against England, taking 21 wickets in six matches at an average of 22.28, with best figures of 5/72.
He has not played any Test cricket since the first Test against New Zealand in October 2024.
The five-test series will be held from June to August 2025, with matches scheduled at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's and The Oval in London, and Old Trafford in Manchester. This will be India's first-ever Test series under the captaincy of Shubman Gill after the retirement of batting stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Tests and Ashwin from all international cricket.
India's Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
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