Why is Kuldeep Yadav not playing today’s 2nd Test between Bangladesh and India in Mirpur?

During the first day of the second Test match of India’s tour of Bangladesh 2022 in Mirpur, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has won the toss and chose to bat.

“We’ll bat first. It will be challenging for the first two hours. If we can manage that, we can score well. Fast bowlers get some help here but it is generally good for batting,” Shakib told the host broadcaster at the toss.

Coming on the back of a 188-run loss in Chattogram, Bangladesh have made a couple of changes to their Playing XI. Former captain Mominul Haque and fast bowler Taskin Ahmed have been handed opportunities in place of batter Yasir Ali and fast bowler Ebadot Hossain.

Why is Kuldeep Yadav not playing today vs Bangladesh?

Much like Shakib, India captain KL Rahul was also inclined towards batting first but wasn’t exactly sure of what to make of the pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Thursday morning.

“We’d have done the same. To be honest, on seeing the surface, not sure what to make of it. There is some grass that you can see, but it’s generally good to bat here. There is generally some bounce here and some help for both pacers and spinners,” Rahul told the host broadcaster at the toss.

India, meanwhile, have made a solitary change to their Playing XI bringing in pacer Jaydev Unadkat for spinner Kuldeep Yadav. It is quite a shocker that India have left out their Player of the Match from the first Test to accommodate a third pacer on a pitch with comparatively more grass. Readers must note that it is not for the first time when Yadav has been left out right after a picking a Test five-wicket haul.

“Unfortunate decision for us to leave him [Kuldeep Yadav] out but it’s an opportunity for [Jaydev] Unadkat,” Rahul added. Getting to play an international match after almost four years, Unadkat will add to his lone Test appearance after a whopping 12-year gap. The 31-year old player has pinned down Shardul Thakur to earn the third pacer’s spot in addition to two spinners namely Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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