India should play Suryakumar Yadav in the Oval Test - Dilip Vengsarkar

Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar wants Team India to include Mumbai’s Suryakumar Yadav as a sixth specialist batsman in the fourth Test against England at the Oval, which starts on Thursday.

Despite his team's struggles with the bat, captain Virat Kohli recently said that he doesn’t believe in the six-batsmen approach, as he believes he needs five specialist bowlers to pick up 20 wickets to win Tests, especially overseas.

Team India were bowled out for a paltry 78 on the first day of the Headingley Test, and conceded a massive 354-run first-innings lead. Despite a good start in their second innings, reaching 215 for two at the end of Day 3, India had a torrid fourth day, losing their last seven wickets inside an hour to face their first innings defeat in three years.

In an interaction with PTI, Vengsarkar, a former chairman of the selection committee, echoed the sentiments of Sunil Gavaskar and said:

“I don’t like to sound as if it’s a knee-jerk reaction, but I firmly believe we need to strengthen our batting line-up by including Suryakumar Yadav ahead of Hanuma Vihari. We should drop a bowler and go in with six batsmen.

“Surya can match (in terms of skills) with the best in this Indian team, and since he’s around for some time now, he should be included before it’s too late.”

Less than a month short of his 31st birthday, Suryakumar Yadav has played three ODIs and four T20Is. The Mumbai batsman averages 44 in First-Class cricket. After his impressive outings in white-ball cricket, Yadav was called up on an SOS basis as a backup after Shubman Gill and Avesh Khan were injured.

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Dilip Vengsarkar surprised at Ravichandran Ashwin’s exclusion from India’s Test XI

R Ashwin is yet to play a Test in the ongoing India-England series.

Dilip Vengsarkar also expressed surprise at Ravichandran Ashwin’s continued exclusion from the India XI in the first three Tests. The stylish Mumbaikar, who starred for India in their 1986 series win in England, believes India should play their best spinner.

“Why Ashwin is not being picked so far is a mystery to me. You leave out your best spinner out of the playing eleven to me, is hard to digest. India will have to play with four bowlers and six batsmen if they have to win the remaining games,” added the 65-year-old.

Can we give @ashwinravi99 a game as captain? Maybe the only way he will get a game anytime soon.#LegendOnTheBench

— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) August 25, 2021

Ranked second in the ICC's Test bowler rankings, Ashwin was the highest wicket-taker in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2019-21.

Ravichandran Ashwin had a good game in the WTC final, and boasts an impressive record in county cricket. In fact, he averages 28 with the ball in Test cricket in England, and has a good record against England run-machine Joe Root, whom he dismissed five times.