CHENNAI: Despite India bowling coach Bharat Arun saying that spinner Kuldeep Yadav would be getting an opportunity in the home Tests against England, India called up left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem from the reserves to replace Axar Patel for the first Test here on Friday.
Kuldeep, a Chinaman bowler, was benched in all four Tests in Australia and has not played a Test for over two years since taking a five-wicket haul in the fourth and final Test against host Australia in Sydney in 2018-19.
“In India when we play these four Tests, it will be his time,” Arun had said on arrival from Australia.
India skipper Virat Kohli said on the eve of the first Test that Kuldeep not playing Tests for over two years was partly because there was no cricket during the Covid-enforced lockdown. He also said that Kuldeep’s chance would come.
“You can count two years but in 2020 we played no cricket for so long. So it is not that long a gap. New Zealand conditions was not suited to playing three spinners, something that he understood as an individual. But now that the home season starts, he will be in the scheme of things,” Kohli had said on Thursday.