Substitute captain KL Rahul admitted on Sunday that India missed the service of left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the second innings, but said he had “no regrets” about pulling him out of the final Test against Bangladesh. Fresh off India’s 188-run win in the Chittagong Test, Kuldeep was substituted for an extra sewing machine in Jaydev Unadkat, a decision that was slammed by the likes of Sunil Gavaskar. “I don’t regret the decision. It was the right decision. If you look at the wickets, our fast bowlers also took a lot of wickets and they got a lot of help. There was a lot of inconsistent bounce,” Rahul said Defending his decision in a post-match media interaction.
India struggled with a 74-7 scoreline in a tough fourth-day circuit while chasing a tricky 145 run as Ravi Chandran Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer scored an uninterrupted eighth three in 71 runs. The wickets cooperated for an incredible wicket chase and India survived.
“We took our decision keeping our experience in ODIs in mind. We saw that both spin and bounce helped. It was a balancing aspect and I think it was the right decision,” he added.
Kuldeep made a stunning comeback after 22 months, returning with eight wickets and a heroic 40 in a crucial low-level tie with Ashwin. He was also named the best player in the opening Test at Chittagong.
“Knowing he won us in the last Test, it was really a tough decision. But seeing the pitch the day before the game, we felt the fast bowlers and seamers would be helped and with that in mind we wanted to play. Best and balanced team,” Rahul said.
The absence of Kuldeep was felt by the team, especially in Bangladesh’s second over, when India struggled to beat the home side with a crucial first innings lead of 87 runs.
Bangladesh made 70 of 4 shots but finished with 231 points.
In hindsight, Rahul said he would have been happy to bowl Kuldeep in the second innings if he had the option of the “influencer player” rule, which will debut in next year’s IPL.
“Ideally, if there is an influential player rule – like in the IPL – I would definitely like to have Kuldeep in the second innings,” Rahul said.
The impact player of the ‘super sub’ rule, which debuted in the Big Bash in 2020 and has also featured in Syed Mushtaq Ali’s domestic T20 this season, means each team can make one substitution in a game. people.
Each team will submit four substitutes at the throw-in, any of whom can enter as an “impact player.”
The two Test series proved disastrous for Rahul (57 runs, average: 14.25) and Kohli (45 runs; 15.00), but the substitute captain blamed the loss from the white board. Quick transition from ball to red ball cricket.
“When you’re playing all three formats, it’s a little bit tricky to jump from one format to another. Personally, it takes some time to get back into the groove and understand, to get your mind back to what you did right. matter.
“Each format is a challenge for you to get used to the speed … it’s a challenge that excites me.
“Obviously the series wasn’t great. I can live with that. I tried my best and it didn’t work out. I can look forward to seeing what I can do better next time,” he added.
Rahul blamed it on their tight schedule, saying: “Unfortunately, our schedule is so tight that for some players who play various formats, they can’t do it and get used to it quickly. up.
“But it’s been a challenge for us. Ideally we’d like to have more time to get used to between the red and the white, to get our minds back to playing red cricket and develop a little bit of patience and performance.” Iyer had a productive series in which he averaged 101 points and hit 50 twice. He was the second leading runner with 202 behind Cheteshwar Pujara (222) and his reassuring presence, especially in the second innings, calmed things down.
“He’s been with the team for a long time. I’m happy for him, he took his chances with both hands. He played really well today. He made the game look very easy,” said Rahul.
(Aside from the title, this story is unedited by NDTV staff and published via a syndicated feed.)
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