Big change ahead of ENG vs IND 5th Test! India can drop Shardul Thakur for Kuldeep Yadav

Should India consider playing Kuldeep Yadav for the remaining match of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar trophy? The burning question again sparked right after the Manchester Test, where the game ended in a draw.

To increase the batting depth, India's love for all-rounders remained unmatchable even at Old Trafford. They played Shardul Thakur in place of Nitish Kumar Reddy. But neither Thakur nor Reddy was at the top of their mark.

In the 4th match, Shardul's 41-run contribution with the bat in the first innings came as a crucial knock, but with that, he delivered again some underperformed overs. Without claiming a single wicket, the pace bowling all-rounder leaked 55 runs in his 11-over spell. The surface of Old Trafford offered a good amount of turns during the later part of the competition. But Captain Shubman Gill had only Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja in his arsenal. Jadeja got 4 wickets, and Sundar got 2. Washington's brace emerged shortly after his introduction in the match.

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Shoul India focus on bowling depth?

Former India internationals like Ravichandran Ashwin and Sanjay Manjrekar criticized Gill's captaincy for underutilizing the spinners. Jadeja and Washington, with their match-saving hundreds, proved their batting abilities in Manchester. Gill scored a century, and KL Rahul delivered a 90-run knock. India saved the 4th match without the service of Rishabh Pant. Sanjay reflected the limited bowling options in India's playing combination. Anshul Kamboj's Test debut was far away from the expectations.

So, the captain mostly had to rely on Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar—only 4 bowlers. As the lower batting order performed well under pressure and Thakur and Reddy's performance remained under the scanner, should India ask Yadav to play the 5th Test at The Oval? The question remains.