England spinners out-bowled Kuldeep, Chahal: Tufnell

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Shared News | UPDATED: JULY 20, 2018 00:55 IST

Says he would play the left-armer in the first Test if he was Kohli
England may have cracked the Kuldeep Yadav code, but former left-arm spinner Phil Tufnell says India will be better off playing him in the Test series as well, having done the good thing by picking the “rare” talent in the five-day squad.


 

Tufnell was full of praise for Kuldeep, marking him as a rarity. “You don’t come across too many left-arm wrist spinners. There are a few leg spinners around across all formats. Kuldeep is a rare bowler. When you come across his type of bowling, you need to really work it out because it is something you haven’t seen before. It is a special thing, and a rarity really,” said Tufnell.

When asked if Kuldeep should be in the playing eleven for the first Test starting in Birmingham on August 1, he replied: “I would definitely play him. It’s a good thing India haven’t sent Kuldeep home. Just look at the weather we have had. “I think it is set to be similarly fair for the next month or so. So you never know India might even play three spinners depending on pitches and their combinations. India have three world class spinners in their Test squad, but I would definitely think of Kuldeep. I would want him hanging close around the English batsmen,” he added.


 

With a 2-1 win in the ODI series, England underlined its status not only as the world’s No. 1 ranked side but also the tag of favourite going into the 2019 World Cup.

“This series was a bit about bragging rights. England can raise their neck a bit. You could have said the same about India as well. Beating England here would have given them a bit of up-man-ship if they meet next year. And I think they will, because these two sides are poised to make it far in the World Cup. They would meet in a semifinal or final for sure,” Tufnell said.