Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra said that Kuldeep Yadav should be an automatic pick in India’s playing XI for the third Test against England. However, he also stated that it might not be fair to leave Axar Patel out. The third game of the five-match Test series will begin in Rajkot on Thursday, February 15. With Ravindra Jadeja having reportedly recovered from his injury, either Kuldeep or Axar might have to sit out if the Indian team opt to play only three spinners.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “Ravindra Jadeja has become available. So if he is available, who will go out, whether Axar or Kuldeep will be left out? It’s a big question. If you see logically, I would say don’t touch Kuldeep because he is a wrist-spinner. A wrist-spinner traps the batters and we also saw him bowling well in Vizag.”

The former India opener added: “In fact, he got to bowl before Axar, bowled more, and was more successful as well. So I feel Kuldeep Yadav is your automatic choice but it seems like you are doing an injustice if you leave Axar out. He has been very consistent, so why should we suddenly say that you can drop Axar?”

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Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav picked up four wickets in the second Test after replacing Jadeja in the playing XI as well. Axar Patel accounted for five dismissals and scored 133 runs which came at a decent average of 33.25 in the first two Tests. Aakash Chopra also stated India could alternatively play four spinners, considering that Mohammed Siraj and Mukesh Kumar didn’t contribute much in the one game apiece they played as well.

“Another option could be to play four spinners because we played Siraj in the first match and Mukesh in the second match, and both had a very limited contribution. They had limited opportunities because they got few overs. However, let’s be fair, the performance was not that good as well. While Bumrah was taking nine wickets in a match, both of them together picked up one wicket in two Tests. So is it necessary to play another fast bowler? You can play with just one fast bowler,” Aakash Chopra concluded.