Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra expects Kuldeep Yadav to replace a pacer in India’s playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh if the match is played on a typical Kanpur pitch. However, he also added that the hosts might stick to
the same playing XI as the last Test if there is grass and moisture on the surface as well. However, India beat Bangladesh by 280 runs in the first Test on a slightly seamer-friendly surface in Chennai as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “You can do only one thing on a black-soil pitch – put grass and leave moisture. Then the ball moves decently for the first one to one-and-a-half days. If they make such a pitch, which they did in Chennai, they might have to play three fast bowlers. However, if it’s a typical Kanpur surface, low, slow and slightly spin-friendly, Kuldeep Yadav has to play.”
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“It could be a straight swap, a fast bowler out and Kuldeep Yadav in. If there is no workload management, Akash Deep out and Kuldeep in. If Bumrah has to rest, both Akash Deep and Kuldeep might play. Other than that, I don’t think there is a scope for a change in the team,” he further added.
However, Jasprit Bumrah picked up five wickets in 21 overs across Bangladesh’s two innings in the Chennai Test. On the other hand, Akash Deep also claimed two wickets in five overs in the first innings but went wicketless in six overs in the second innings as well. In the same video, Aakash Chopra also opened up about the probable changes in Bangladesh’s playing XI.
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“Firstly Shakib Al Hasan’s availability is not known. There is no final verdict yet whether he is playing or not. He is nursing an injury. If he is available, he will play, otherwise he will not. I see Taijul Islam playing. He is a left-arm spinner and he has troubled us a lot as well. He bowls very long spells. He bowls 30 overs in a day. Left-arm spinner – even Ajaz Patel, Matthew Kuhnemann and Steve O’Keefe troubled us. All left-arm spinners trouble us. You will have to be slightly wary of Taijul Islam, although his recent form is not very good at all,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
