5 selection blunders that cost India in Test cricket in 2018

#3 Playing Kuldeep on a seamer-friendly Lord’s pitch

Kuldeep Yadav bowled just 9 overs in the Test match at Lord's.

Ahead of the Test series in England, there was a lot of talk about Kuldeep Yadav. He had rattled the hosts in both the ODIs and the T20Is (picking up a fifer in both formats – 13 wickets in 5 games). Hence, after England struggled in the first Test against Ravichandran Ashwin, India decided to throw Kuldeep Yadav into the mix.

However, this came at the expense of a pacer (Umesh Yadav) and India had only two frontline fast bowlers (Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami) along with Hardik Pandya. With the ball moving around under overcast conditions and a greenish pitch, Kuldeep Yadav struggled big time and only got to bowl 9 overs in the entire Test match. He also registered a pair with the bat.

As England’s fast bowlers made hay, India dearly missed another seamer to back up the efforts of Ishant, Shami and Pandya who gave India a good start (England were 131/5). In fact, England's spinner Adil Rashid didn't bowl a single delivery in that Test match which shows that it was indeed a big mistake to pick Kuldeep at Lord's.