As India gears to lock horns with England in a four-match Test series starting from February 05 with Chennai set to host the first two games.
Former India pacer Irfan Pathan urged the Indian team management to play struggling spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the upcoming Test series against England at home.
Although Kuldeep has been out-of-favour to warm the bench throughout the recently-concluded four-match Test series against Australia. But Pathan believes left-arm wrist spinners like Kuldeep are rare and unique while backing him to impress against England.
“It is very important from the team management point of view, how they keep mindset of a player, who is not playing. I am sure they must be doing a right job, and that’s why the guys, when we saw some of the youngsters, they came and played really well,” Pathan was quoted as saying by PTI.
“I am sure they must be supporting and backing Kuldeep Yadav because he has got immense talent. You don’t find left-arm wrist spinners on every-day-basis. He is a unique bowler. The guys is about 25-26 and this is where he is going to get maturity. Whenever he gets opportunity, first Test, second Test, whenever he will be raring to go and I am pretty sure that he will do well,” he added.
There has been a lot of talk surrounding backing Kuldeep’s inclusion in the Test side for the England series by explaining how leg-spinners have enjoyed success against England in the past.
“When it comes to England, look at the history, if you are a leg-spinner, you always have a chance of performing well, I just hope that whenever he plays, he does really well and he does,” said Pathan.
Kuldeep’s wait might end in the first Test against England at the Chepauk who was last seen in a Test match in January 2019, against Australia in Sydney. He has 24 wickets to his name in six Tests so far for India.