Why Bhuvneshwar Kumar should have been chosen ahead of Umesh Yadav in the squad for the Sydney Test

The much-awaited fourth and final Test match between India and Australia will start tomorrow, at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground.

This ongoing Test series has been a great spectacle for all the cricket fans across the globe. It has been extra special for all the Indian fans, as the Indian team has played brilliantly thus far.

They are already up by 2-1 margin, after winning the first and third Tests in Adelaide and Melbourne respectively. The Indian team has already ensured that they will be retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which they won after beating Australia by 2-1 margin in 2017.

However, the Indian team will definitely not be satisfied with what they have already achieved in the series. This is because, they are at the cusp of creating history, going into this all-important Sydney Test Match. If the Indian team is able to win or at least draw the Sydney Test, then they will become the first Indian Test team to win a Test series in Australia. This will surely be a memorable moment in Indian cricket history.

The 13-member squad that the team management has declared for this Sydney Test match is as follows:

Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane (vc), Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Hanuma Vihari, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav and R Ashwin.

The inclusion of KL Rahul in place of Rohit Sharma is a forced change, as Rohit is unavailable due to family exigency. However, the other change, the inclusion of Umesh Yadav in place of the injured Ishant Sharma, comes as a big surprise.

Although the playing XI is not yet decided, but in this article, we will look at the reasons why Bhuvneshwar Kumar could have been a better choice compared to Umesh Yadav.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

#1 Ability to take wickets with the new ball

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of the best swing bowlers in world cricket at present. His ability to swing the new ball both ways has troubled even the best batsmen in the world. He has consistently provided India early wickets with the new ball.

On the other hand, Umesh Yadav's performance with the new ball has been very inconsistent. Even on a green Perth wicket, in the second Test match, he was unable to provide a breakthrough with the new ball.

#2 Strengthening the lower-order batting

Compared to Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a much better batsman. The Indian lower-order has been struggling to make any significant contribution with the bat in this series. So, choosing Umesh Yadav instead of Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lengthen the Indian batting tail.

#3 Overall Test record

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has taken 63 wickets in 21 Test matches at an impressive average of 26.09. While Umesh Yadav has taken 119 wickets in 41 Test matches at a much higher average of 33.47.

So, going by their Test records, Bhuvneshwar Kumar should have been chosen ahead of Umesh Yadav as the third Indian pacer.