Mumbai, May 10: Former India middle-order stalwart Rahul Dravid feels spinner Kuldeep Yadav could have been one of the players to receive a nod for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship.
The BCCI recently announced the star-studded squad of the Kohli-led side for the Test Championship final and India's high-profile tour to England.
Talking about Kuldeep's exclusion from the squad, former team India captain Dravid opined that the spin wizard could have merited selection but he hasn’t been at top of his game in recent times. Dravid also highlighted that brilliant performances by Axar Patel and Washington Sundar in the Test setup has pushed Kuldeep on the back seat.
“It does seem balanced. It’s a 20-member squad. The only other one who could have merited selection would’ve been Kuldeep Yadav, but he’s fallen away over the last little bit. Also, with the kind of recent performances from Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, they’re clear about the kind of balance they want in the squad,” Dravid said during a webinar conducted by Live Aid India.
The Kanpur-born Kuldeep has only played seven Test matches for India. He was included in the first Test match against England in February but could only manage a brace of wickets after going wicket-less in the 1st innings.
“With both Ashwin and Jadeja adding value with the bat and having like-for-like replacements in Axar and Washy, they’re clear about the direction they want to take. It lengthens their batting and all four finger spinners here allow them to do that. The make-up of the squad tells me they know their best XI even before they leave from here” Dravid added.
