Is Kuldeep Yadav to Miss the 5th Test Once Again? Strategy Insights Suggest So

As India get ready for the much-awaited fifth Test against England at The Oval the ubiquitous question on everyone's lips is whether Kuldeep Yadav will finally get a chance to play or be left out yet again. Shubman Gill who is leading the Indian team chose his words carefully when asked about the playing eleven. He praised Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar by saying their batting and bowling efforts were a no-brainer to choose with respect to selection. This, in itself, suggested that India might be able to keep the spin all-rounders and might again leave out Kuldeep Yadav from the team.

Gill said nothing categorically about Kuldeep's being selected or left behind. But if you listen between his words it seems the team management is not so keen on playing a specialist spinner in the last match. He also said that England have not gone ahead to employ a frontline spinner such as Liam Dawson and are instead banking on part-timers such as Joe Root and Jacob Bethell. This may perhaps suggest that India is preparing in the same direction with the green look of the pitch and the anticipated conditions in mind. The Indian team is looking to level the series following a gritty draw in Old Trafford. There is huge excitement and anticipation building ahead of the final match. The majority of the attention is also on the fitness of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who had earlier been pencilled to play only three of the five Tests.

His fitness had been in question during the final game in which he bowled his most costly bowling figures in a Test match. Gill added that a decision on Bumrah would be taken later after assessing the pitch and weather. But many believe it is important for India to include him in their playing line-up given how important his role is in match-situations. So far Bumrah has ruled out 14 wickets in the series and has remained India's go-to pacer. His performances include two five-wicket hauls and he has maintained a healthy average. Though some fitness concerns there was no ignoring his ability to change the fortunes of a game towards his side with one spell. Gill showed optimism but guardedly added they would be content with the playing XI after checking conditions once again in the evening. The next player in the pipeline for selection for the possible inclusion is left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. Although he has yet to feature in a Test match, he is in contention as a possible debutant for the final match.

Gill had to report that Arshdeep is being told to stay ready. The team is contemplating how the pitch behaves and how the conditions are set to be like for the next five days before making a decision. Arshdeep has fair experience in England as he had played in the County Championship for Kent. He managed to take 13 wickets in five matches there. His overall first-class career is good with 66 wickets in 21 matches and best of 6 for 40.

He has shown that he is able to make a contribution even under foreign conditions which should be in his favor. Shubman Gill also spoke about how this series has been his learning phase as a captain. He mentioned that despite the current scoreline, India played very competitive cricket and that results do not represent fully the team effort and performance. All the matches have gone to the wire and it was tough to separate a winner even after four days of cricket. To command over a pretty young team and to be able to consistently put England under pressure is something he is proud of. Gill is of the view that if India are able to finish on a high and level the series it would be an outstanding achievement considering the problems they have faced. One of the biggest takeaways in this series has been the development of all-rounders such as Jadeja and Sundar who have played consistently. Their ability to score runs at crucial situations and pick wickets at important junctures has added balance to India, particularly overseas.

That is one of the reasons why Kuldeep Yadav despite being a skilled wrist spinner has not been named in the team so far. The team management seems to be opting for depth and flexibility in both units over fielding a specialist who only offers a single good thing. Kuldeep Yadav has been traveling with the team and waiting patiently in line. But with English conditions not offering much assistance to spinners and with the team relying more and more on spin all-rounders his chances look bleak again for the final Test. Unless miraculously something changes overnight or there is an immediate fear about an injury it is doubtful that the team would make any last-minute alterations in this direction.

With time running out before the start of the final Test all will be watching the team sheet and who is selected to play in the playing XI. The final decisions will depend a great deal on the pitch the weather and the strategy India wants to adopt. But by the hints provided by the captain the selection of Sundar and Jadeja look virtually certain and Kuldeep might once more have to look forward to a later opportunity. India would be praying that whichever combination they select they get the result they are after. With the series tied and so much dependent upon every move every decision and every performance, anything will do. For the time being everyone remains glued to thinking about team balance match conditions and making sure the best eleven get on the field on Thursday.