"Made a mistake" - Danish Kaneria on Kuldeep Yadav's absence from India's playing XI for 3rd Test vs Australia

Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria believes Team India missed a trick by benching left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav for the third Test against Australia in Indore.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaneria opined that the hosts should have played only one fast bowler on the spin-friendly track at the Holkar Cricket Stadium. He suggested that the side could have accommodated Kuldeep by resting Mohammed Siraj for the contest.

The 42-year-old also pointed out that Kuldeep has been in tremendous form in white-ball cricket lately and claimed that his presence would have bolstered India's bowling attack.

"India missed out on a genuine bowler," he explained. "Kuldeep Yadav has been in fantastic form, and he should have been a part of the playing XI. India could have afforded to go with just one fast bowler in this match. Umesh Yadav was coming in fresh, so they had the option of resting Mohammed Siraj. India made a mistake here."

While Siraj has bowled a few impressive spells in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he has picked up just one wicket from four innings. He bowled just six overs and finished wicketless in the Indore Test.

Kuldeep hasn't played a single match so far in the four-match Test series. However, h was exceptional with the ball in his last Test appearance. Playing against Bangladesh in December 2022, he picked up eight wickets in the final fixture of the series and was also named the Player of the Match.

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"He has struggled in Test cricket" - Danish Kaneria on Virat Kohli's recent form

Danish Kaneria further stated that while star Indian batter Virat Kohli has roared back to form in white-ball cricket, he has failed to make an impact with the bat in Test cricket in the recent past.

Commenting on Kohli's dismissal in the second innings of the third Test against Australia, the former cricketer mentioned that the batter's shot selection was not up to the mark. He emphasized that it was important for the senior player to fire with the bat in the crucial contest, but failed to do so.

"Virat Kohli has performed really well in white-ball cricket lately, and he is back to scoring centuries in those formats," Kaneria added. "However, he has struggled in Test cricket. He played a very poor shot on a very poor ball.

"It was a short delivery, and he was aware that the ball was keeping low on this track. He should have looked to spend more time at the crease. It was important for him to score runs here."

Kohli managed just 13 runs off 26 balls in the innings. He was out leg before wicket to left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann while trying to play on the back foot. However, he was undone by the low bounce, and the ball crashed onto his pads.