'Too dependent on Jasprit Bumrah': Ex-India captain's brutal reality check for Shubman Gill and Co

Former captain Mohammad Azharuddin stated that India ought to include left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the Edgbaston Test against England to enhance their bowling attack's experience and alleviate some of the pressure on pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. During the first Test at Leeds, which India lost by five wickets, the team was significantly dependent on Bumrah for taking wickets and controlling the run rate.

“They are too much dependent on Bumrah. It's not easy because you need more experienced bowlers, and they should play Kuldeep Yadav,” Azharuddin told PTI Videos.

India is set to compete against England in the second Test match at Birmingham starting July 2. The pitch is anticipated to be dry, which may provide some support for Kuldeep.

In their first innings, India achieved a commendable total of 471, with captain Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Rishabh Pant each scoring centuries. They also posted a respectable second innings total of 364, thanks to centuries from KL Rahul and Pant. However, a collapse in the middle and lower order during both innings prevented the visitors from establishing stronger totals or a more challenging target.

Azharuddin emphasized the importance of maintaining the right team combination to recover from the setback experienced in Leeds.

“We lost because of batting collapse, but anyways now they have to pick the right players and bowling has to be perfect,” he noted.

The 62-year-old who led India to 14 wins in 47 Tests as captain supported the new Test captain Gill, asserting that he deserves ample time to demonstrate his capabilities.

“This is his just first match as a captain, you just can't talk about captaincy. It's too early to talk about captaincy,” he remarked.

“We should give him a fair chance and he has just taken over. So, you should give him a lot of time and support. We cannot just complain and criticise players like that,” said Azharuddin.

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