The India-Bangladesh second Test match began on Thursday in Dhaka with the home skipper, Shakib Al Hasan, winning the toss and electing to bowl first.
The good news for India was that KL Rahul, the stand-in captain for this Test series in the absence of Rohit Sharma, was fit to play today after sustaining a blow on his hand yesterday in the nets.
However, it was KL Rahul and Rahul Dravid’s decision to drop Kuldeep Yadav, the Man of the Match in India’s 188-run victory in Chattogram, and replace him with Jaydev Unadkat, playing only his second career Test match and first since making his debut way back in 2010 in South Africa, was the major talking point of the morning and will remain throughout the day and the Test.
There was plenty of grass on the Dhaka surface today, which was a bit unusual, and hence this was the reason India went with Unadkat. Since Ashwin and Axar are India’s two first-choice spinners, the ax fell on Kuldeep.
Should India come out with anything other than a victory in this Test, this debatable call – of replacing the chinaman spinner who showed great rhythm in the first Test with a pacer virtually making a Test debut again – will come under huge scanner of the management that is already copping plenty of criticism for various reasons.
Gaurav Kapur trolls Indian management with a hilarious tweet after Kuldeep Yadav was dropped
Senior anchor and actor Gaurav Kapur minced no words in expressing what he felt was an unfair call from the Indian team management is leaving Kuldeep out despite his brilliant performance with both bat and ball – 40 runs and 8 wickets – in Chattogram. Kapur trolled them with a sarcastic tweet that has now gone viral.
“If only Kuldeep had done a little better in the 1st test. Player of the Match isn’t enough I guess,” Kapur tweeted.
If only Kuldeep had done a little better in the 1st test.
Player of the Match isn’t enough I guess 🤷🏻♂️#BANvIND— Gaurav Kapur (@gauravkapur) December 22, 2022
Unadkat made the first breakthrough of the morning, his maiden Test wicket, by dismissing opener Zakir Hasan before Ashwin dismissed the other opener, Shano. Bangladesh are 82/2 at Lunch.
