Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke has an important advice for Gautam Gambhir and his support staff ahead of India's second Test against England at Birmingham. The Test match starts from July 2 with Team India getting a week's break to rethink their strategy.
India lost the first Test at Headingley to start off their WTC 2025-27 campaign. This was India's seventh loss in Test matches since Gambhir took over as the head coach of the Indian team.
With reports of Jasprit Bumrah likely to be rested for the second Test, the Indian bowling attack will get even thinner at Edgbaston. The management is still looking for his replacement and there are conundrums over playing an extra seamer or a spinner. Head coach Gautam Gambhir is under the scanner as well with India losing at Hedingley.
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Michael Clarke Bats For Kuldeep Yadav's Inclusion In 2nd Test
Meanwhile, Michael Clarke in his podcast spoke about Kuldeep Yadav's inclusion for the next Test and said that it is a no-brainer as he is a wicket-taker.
“Bowling-wise, I do not want to be hard on any individual, but I think they’ve got to play Kuldeep Yadav. I think it is an absolute no-brainer. I think he’s a wicket-taker and would have offered a lot more than what he saw the attack do in this Test,” Clarke said on the Beyond23 Podcast.
“India have done this for a while. They care so much about extra batting or stacking the batting deep, and they are willing to risk picking the number one spinner to do that. I think to win in England, you’ve got to look to pick 20 wickets,” Clarke added.
Former England opener Nick Knight echoed Clarke's sentiments ahead of the second test, saying that he would also play the Indian spinner based on the dry weather conditions.
“I would be looking for every opportunity to play Kuldeep Yadav. England will find it hard against Kuldeep. If Kuldeep is on top of his game, that could be a defining moment in the series, or moments, because England likes to be aggressive. When you want to be aggressive, you have to be certain about which way the ball is turning. If there is a little bit of assistance from the pitch, Kuldeep will be able to bowl all his varieties,” he said.
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India Worried About Jasprit Bumrah's Replacement
The Indian bowling attack, which was expected to be the stronger suit, has turned out to be the weak link in the first Test. With Bumrah likely to miss the second Test, the management needs to make a big decision, as a loss at Edgbaston would peg India back in the series.
Also read: IND vs ENG: Ravi Ashwin heavily criticizes Mohammed Siraj for not complimenting Jasprit Bumrah
