Kuldeep Yadav is yet to play a match in the ongoing Test series against England.
Former England pacer Steve Harmison recently explained as to how the Old Trafford pitch in Manchester has transitioned from being a pitch that offers pace and bounce, to a much slow-paced pitch.
“The first-class pitches in Manchester in the last 18 months or two years haven’t been like they were 10 or 15 years ago. They were bouncy pitches. They were hard and aggressive with a reverse swing. They are all very similar now. They are very slow, very flat,” Harmison said during an episode of ESPNCricinfo Match Day.
The 46-year-old also spoke on if India should play Kuldeep Yadav in the fourth Test against England in Manchester, which starts from Wednesday (July 23). India are 1-2 behind in the five-match Test series and the visitors should win in Manchester to keep their hopes of a series victory alive.
“You can’t drop Jadeja, you can’t drop Sundar. Can you play three spinners? That will be a big ask. As much as I think it will be right to play Kuldeep, I am not sure how you get him in. If you drop a batter like they did in the first Test match and everyone move up one. It will be a big call if it is Washington Sundar who misses out. I wouldn’t like to make that call,” he added.
MAL
–
HKG
–
SGP
–
SAM
–
WI
189/8
AUS
190/7
Australia beat West Indies by 3 wickets
WI
–
AUS
–
RWA
–
ML
–
BHN
–
RWA
–
GLO
–
LAN
–
ALZ-W
73/8
DIF-W
74/3
Djurgardens IF Women beat Alby Zalmi Women by 7 wickets
STO-W
58/5
ALZ-W
138/2
Alby Zalmi Women won by 80 runs
DIF-W
46/0
STO-W
45/7
Djurgardens IF Women Won by 10 wickets
ALZ-W
78/2
DIF-W
75/6
Alby Zalmi Women beat Djurgardens IF Women by 8 wickets
STO-W
63/2
ALZ-W
161/0
Alby Zalmi Women beat Stockholm CC Women by 98 runs
DIF-W
–
STO-W
–
ALZ-W
–
DIF-W
–
STO-W
–
ALZ-W
–
DIF-W
–
STO-W
–
BCC
190/7
CCC
157/10
Bud Cricket Club beat City Cricket Club by 33 runs
GTC
116/8
NAJC
122/5
Nabajyoti Club beat Gauhati Town Club by 5 wickets
91YC
–
NVR
–
BCC
–
CCC
–
RWA-W
138/6
MWW-W
71/9
Rwanda Women beat Malawi Women by 67 runs
BOT-W
54/2
MZW-W
53/9
Botswana Women beat Mozambique Women by 8 wickets
SLO-W
190/6
EWW-W
41/8
Sierra Leone Women beat Eswatini Women by 149 runs
CW-W
105/9
LSN-W
50/10
Cameroon Women beat Lesotho Women by 55 runs
ENG-W
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IND-W
–
BNC
174/3
CEC-A
175/6
CECC beat Bader & Nie Cricket Club by 4 wickets
RLC
–
KRMPS
–
CAT
90/3
GCF
89/7
Caribbean Tigers beat Grand Cayman Falcons by 7 wickets
VEV
112/6
BRT
117/3
Boca Raton Trailblazers beat Vegas Vikings by 5 runs
CAT
102/3
FLI
101/3
Caribbean Tigers beat Florida Lions by 7 wickets
VEV
81/0
GCF
–
MIB
–
BRT
–
FLI
–
MIB
–
CAT
–
CBS
–
GCF
–
BRT
–
CAT
–
MIB
–
VEV
–
BRT
–
BAN
–
PAK
–
UAE
59/3
NIG
58/10
United Arab Emirates won by 7 wickets
KNY
129/7
UGA
157/5
Uganda beat Kenya by 28 runs
KNY
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NBA
–
UGA
–
NIG
–
KAK
135/9
OAW
137/5
Ossudu Accord Warriors beat Karaikal Kniights by 5 wickets
YAR
105/2
RWT
–
Match Abandoned.
OAW
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MMS
–
KAK
–
VMK
–
ASS
203/7
BAD
199/4
Amo Sharks beat Band-e-Amir Dragons by 3 wickets
BDS
159/7
MAK
177/5
Mis Ainak Knights beat Boost Defenders by 18 runs
BAD
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SGT
–
ASS
–
MAK
–
EDC
–
WIC
–
IAC
–
SAC
–
NZ
–
SA
–
IRE-W
–
ZIM-W
–
Kuldeep Yadav, if included, could make an impact with his wrist-spin, more so with the kind of variations he possesses. He has the ability to bring out the googly against the left-handers, as well as drift the ball away while producing the ability to spin against the right-handers.
Kuldeep Yadav last played a Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru in October 2024. The 30-year-old had enjoyed an excellent home series against England in 2024, taking 19 wickets from matches. Overall, the Uttar Pradesh cricketer has taken 21 wickets from six Tests against England, which means that a majority of his wickets came during the 2024 series at home.
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India are currently trailing 1-2 in the five-match Test series against England. The hosts won the first and third Tests by five wickets and 22 runs respectively, whereas India emerged victorious by 336 runs in the second Test. India must win the fourth Test to revive their hopes of winning their first Test series on English soil for the first time in 18 years.
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