‘Comfort' pick 'illusionary all-rounders' under fire as India told to pick proven star before ‘reality hits on the face’

India’s reluctance to include Kuldeep Yadav in their playing XI for the opening Test against England at Headingley has reignited a tactical debate. Former cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has weighed in with a sharp critique of the team’s all-rounder strategy. Despite England’s susceptibility to high-quality spin, India chose to leave Kuldeep out, opting instead for a combination that prioritised batting depth through the inclusion of Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur. India's Shubman Gill with head coach Gautam Gambhir during practice (Action Images via Reuters)

This decision is consistent with India’s approach since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia last year, where the team often leaned on the likes of Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, or Jadeja, and occasionally two of them, to provide a more robust lower-order batting core. While this might have made sense in Australian conditions that demanded pace-heavy attacks, Manjrekar believes India are falling into a trap of “illusionary all-rounders,” players whose presence reassures batting strength but who may not offer the incisiveness needed with the ball.

Against a Bazball-inspired England side that thrives on momentum and attack, Manjrekar has called for India to rethink their approach and bring Kuldeep into the mix at Edgbaston.

“It's a nice comforting feel, what I call the illusionary all-rounders. It just feels nicer having them in the team before reality hits on the face. That happened in Australia, and it's unfortunate that people think like that about Kuldeep Yadav,” Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.

"You don't actually see how a pure bowler, or a wicket-taker like Kuldeep Yadav gives the kind of advantage to the team. There's Bazball, and Kuldeep is not an easy bowler for a lot of English batters to play that kind of cricket against.

“When you have an exceptional wicket-taker... if he gets you four wickets, you get 150 runs less on the opposition's score. If you pick someone who isn't a wicket-taker and pick him for his batting skills, he might get you 1-2 wickets, plus he's never going to get you less than 150 runs.”

Reliable spin option

The wrist-spinner has shown the ability to extract a sharp turn even in pace-friendly conditions and has matured into a much more reliable Test option over the past year. His ability to slow down the tempo and create pressure with wicket-taking deliveries could be exactly what India need to break England’s rhythm.

India’s bowling unit in Leeds struggled for sustained control, with only Jasprit Bumrah offering genuine penetration. With doubts over Bumrah’s availability for the second Test due to workload management, the need for a frontline spinner becomes even more urgent.

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