India made one change to their XI for the second Test against Bangladesh, bringing in Jaydev Unadkat in place of Kuldeep Yadav, the Player of the Match in the first Test. The decision to drop Kuldeep led to criticism from some quarters.

Left-arm seamer Unadkat, recalled into the Test side after 12 years, joined Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav as the third seamer in the XI, with R Ashwin and Axar Patel being the two spinners. Unadkat’s inclusion was met with plenty of praise for his persistence – he missed 118 Test matches between appearances – making his way back after stellar Ranji Trophy performances. The 2019/20 season, in particular, was record-breaking: he took 67 wickets, the most by a seamer in a single season. However, not everyone was impressed by the call to drop Kuldeep.

The look of the wicket could have governed the call, as the Mirpur pitch had a visible tinge of grass. At the toss, India captain KL Rahul said: “It’s a confusing wicket. There is a lot of grass. I’m not too disappointed because I have no idea what to expect from this pitch,” adding that he had taken advice from ‘experts’ – the coaching staff and seniors – to get an idea of the surface.

Kuldeep has had a topsy-turvy ride in Test cricket so far. With India usually preferring the combination of Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja at home (and one of them outside Asia), Kuldeep has often been the third spinner, spending considerable time outside the XI. Since his debut in March 2017, he has played eight Test matches. His match figures of 8-113 at the Chattogram Test, his first since February 2021, was his best match haul till date.

In the first session, the surface looked to be gripping up a bit. India introduced Ashwin by the 12th over. Not long after, Unadkat, who had debuted as a 19-year-old against South Africa in 2010, claimed Zakir Hasan as his first Test wicket.

On air, Sunil Gavaskar slammed the decision to drop Kuldeep as “unbelievable … That’s the only word I can use and it’s a gentle word. I would like to use quite stronger words, but it’s unbelievable that you left out a man of the match, who got eight out of the 20 wickets.” Gavaskar’s voices were echoed by many on social media.

If only Kuldeep had done a little better in the 1st test.
Player of the Match isn’t enough I guess 🤷🏻‍♂️#BANvIND

— Gaurav Kapur (@gauravkapur) December 22, 2022

In Mirpur, spinners have taken 409 wickets while Pacers got 264 wickets in 23 Tests played here. Kuldeep Yadav could even take a fifer in both innings here.#INDvsBAN

— Himanshu Pareek (@Sports_Himanshu) December 22, 2022

Spinner on in the 12th over on Day 1. And we dropped Kuldeep.
Moronic. #INDvBAN

— Tunku Varadarajan (@tunkuv) December 22, 2022

This Indian team management needs to explain the reason behind dropping Kuldeep Yadav. Player of the match in the last match, all-round show, yet dropped from the side. Not fair.#BANvIND

— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) December 22, 2022

Man of the match in India’s last Test victory #BANvIND just 3 days ago; Kuldeep Yadav makes way for Jaydev Unadkat as a third seamer for India. Strange but a tactical change.

— Anjum Chopra (@chopraanjum) December 22, 2022

Goodness. Leaving out Kuldeep Yadav after a POTM performance but playing two spinners (although both can bat) and Kuldeep had also scored a patient and composed 40 in the first Test. His confidence took a beating the last time he lost form, hope it doesn't happen again#BANvIND

— Vishal Dikshit (@Vishal1686) December 22, 2022

Kuldeep Yadav – the Player of the Match from Chattogram – isn't featuring in the XI. Triple centurion was dropped from the next Test. Taking hard calls isn't easy but not impossible. Performances > Personnel. Kuldeep looked in rhythm & deserved a consistent run

— Sarang Bhalerao (@bhaleraosarang) December 22, 2022

Just who is going to get the tail mopped up? Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taskin Ahmed are rubbing their hands in glee, this has been a pattern over the last five years. With Kuldeep dropped brace yourselves up for some frustrating runs from lower order #cricket #BanvInd

— Chandresh Narayanan (@chand2579) December 22, 2022

Kuldeep benched for the 2nd Test 🤷‍♂️
Yeah…a little bit of grass on the surface but it’s Dhaka. I mean.
Happy for Unadkat though…inspirational story of ‘never give up’. Red ball has given him another chance. Wish you well, bro 🤗 #BanvInd

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) December 22, 2022

Why does this happen so often to Kuldeep Yadav? You can’t be doing this to him again and again. Please some one put an arm around his shoulder and tell him not to lose heart. Yes. It’s tough being Kuldeep Yadav. Spare a thought for him #DoddaMathu #CricketTwitter

— Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) December 22, 2022

Not everyone criticised the call. Some felt that the tactical move made sense considering the surface. Commentating during the first session, Sanjay Manjrekar said that the call was “purely based on conditions … India came here, saw the surface. We all saw the surface. It is not a three spinners pitch. And India has so much quality in the seamers, that they went for it.”

One probable explanation for #Kuldeep's omission:

Grass on the pitch and if you lose the toss — Unadkat can come into play. If there is enough assistance from the pitch — Ashwin and Axar can be a handful. And they are better batters. #INDvsBAN

— N.Sudarshan (@sudunarayan) December 22, 2022

If India had to play three fast bowlers, they would have had to leave out a spinner, and it had to be Kuldeep.

He was always the third spinner (fourth if Jadeja was fit), and one Test match shouldn't change that.

The Indian pace depth is talked about. The spin is just as great.

— Abhishek Mukherjee (@ovshake42) December 22, 2022

It's not unfair on Kuldeep. He isn't the 2nd spinner and currently is only going to play if three spinners play, or if all but one of the three spinners ahead of him is injured and two spinners play. Selection is brutal, but it's not random in it's brutality.

— cricketingview (@cricketingview) December 22, 2022