Sourav Ganguly Raises Questions over Team India's England Test Series Strategy

The Indian team's selection for the second Test against England has made everyone excited and restless. A majority of former players such as Sourav Ganguly Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri have shown serious reservations about the team combination particularly regarding the spinners picked for the match. The second Test was started in Birmingham with some changes from the first game made by India. Three new faces were introduced into the side — Nitish Kumar Reddy Washington Sundar and Akash Deep. They did not play in the first Test against Leeds which India lost by five wickets.

One of the most controversial aspects was the omission of Kuldeep Yadav from the playing XI. Kuldeep has the reputation of taking wickets particularly on tracks where there is some turn available. During the approach to the second Test there were several who believed that since Jasprit Bumrah was rested Kuldeep could be given a game. But the team management decided to play Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar as the two spinners. This move was not liked by Sourav Ganguly who was openly curious to know if these were India's best spinners. He stated that although England's move to bowl first caught him by surprise he felt India had a wonderful chance to post a big score. But simultaneously, he went on to mention that he did not know if India had selected their top two spinners for this crucial match.

Ganguly's words were seconded by Sunil Gavaskar who was also bewildered at the omission of Kuldeep. He cited that on a pitch which was likely to favor spinners it was surprising not to find Kuldeep's name in the playing eleven. Gavaskar stressed that the batting was not the actual problem. Actually he reminded one and all that India had scored over 830 runs in both the innings of the first Test. That's a huge total and not to fret about too much. As per Gavaskar the actual area that needed to be tightened up was the bowling particularly in the wicket-taking department. He believed that having one more batter or all-rounder would not address the principal problem which is getting rid of the English batters sooner.

The choice to rest Jasprit Bumrah even though he was fit also did not find favor with many. Previous head coach Ravi Shastri was especially outspoken on this. He was surprised at how someone like Bumrah who is India's best fast bowler was not playing a match like that. Shastri believed that players such as Bumrah shouldn't even be offered a decision to bench unless they're injured. Considering India's poor performance in Test cricket since October last year, Shastri felt that now was not the moment to give some of the players a break. The team has won just one of its last nine Test matches which is their worst record in more than a decade. That is a point of serious concern and emphasizes playing the best possible eleven in every game.

India's performance during the first Test at Leeds was not great. They scored a lot of runs but lost the match by five wickets. Shubman Gill who is currently leading the team has a heavy burden on his shoulders. The addition of players like Nitish Kumar Reddy Washington Sundar and Akash Deep indicates that the management is attempting to give new players a chance and infuse some fresh energy. Though critics feel that this policy has to be balanced with experience particularly in a series like this when it is so important. While it is good to provide an opportunity to young players, at the cost of excluding such proven performers as Kuldeep Yadav or resting someone as precious as Bumrah is not advisable.

The second Test was also looked upon as a chance for India to come back in the series. Most thought that if they are able to achieve a good score in the first innings it would place pressure on the English team. But for that to be achieved every aspect of the team must gel well with each other. That means a powerful batting order supported by good bowlers who can pick up wickets at the right time. Experts such as Ganguly Gavaskar and Shastri believe that the selection made will perhaps sway too much one way. Their only major concerns are the selection of the spinners and the resting of Bumrah even though the team is going through a difficult patch.

Throughout the remainder of the match fans will be observing closely and waiting to see how the side fares and if the decisions of the management will work in their favor. The focus keywords like Sourav Ganguly questions India XI India vs England Test Kuldeep Yadav excluded and Jasprit Bumrah rested have become central to the ongoing debate. It remains to be seen whether this bold strategy by coach Gautam Gambhir will silence the critics or add more pressure on an already struggling Indian Test team. For the time being, all attention is fixed on the players to perform on the ground and justify that the selected combination is correct.