Haryana all-rounder Jayant Yadav, who has played 6 Tests for India, has been called up as a net bowler to give the Indian batters more practice of off-spin in their preparatory camp in Nagpur, ahead of the first Test against Australia.
India and Australia will contest in a 4-Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting February 9 in Nagpur. The second Test will be played in Delhi, followed by the third Test in Dharamsala before the series concludes in Ahmedabad.
Australia’s main weapon in their spin-bowling attack is Nathan Lyon. Hailed as the ‘GOAT’, Lyon has a terrific record against India: in 22 Tests against India, Lyon has taken 94 wickets – his second-most against a single opposition after 101 wickets vs England – with 7 five-wicket hauls. In his 7 Tests in India, Lyon has snapped 34 wickets with 3 five-fers.
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While India have R Ashwin in their ranks to bowl off-spin to the batters, the hosts have added the experienced Jayant Yadav in their net bowlers’ group to deliver from off-spin, and its varieties, in order to prepare the Indian batters for Lyon, who has taken 460 Test wickets in 115 Tests and will be eyeing a Test series win in India in what could well be the last Test tour of India for the 35-year-old off-spinner.
Jayant Yadav has played in 6 Tests for India between 2016 and 2022. In those opportunities, Jayant took 16 wickets at 29 apiece and averaged 31 with the bat, including hitting a century vs England in 2016.
He has plenty of domestic experience too: Jayant has featured in 73 first-class matches, taking 199 wickets in all.
Along with Jayant Yadav, off-spinner Pulkit Narang of Delhi, who is currently with the Services team, has also been called up as a net bowler. The two offies are in addition to four other spinners, Sai Kishore, Rahul Chahar, Washington Sundar, and Saurabh Kumar, who are with the Indian team as net bowlers.
