"He will be in the scheme of things" - Virat Kohli on Kuldeep Yadav

Indian captain Virat Kohli has hinted that left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav might feature in Team India's playing XI in the first Test against England at the Chepauk in Chennai on Friday.

Kuldeep Yadav, who made his Test debut against Australia in 2017 at Dharamsala, has played six Tests, picking up 24 wickets. His last Test appearance was at the SCG in January 2019 though.

With Team India plagued by a plethora of injuries Down Under, the 26-year-old was widely expected to play in the series-decider at the Gabba. However, it was Washington Sundar who received the nod instead.

In a video conference before the series opener in Chennai, Virat Kohli said that the 26-year-old is likely to feature prominently during Team India's home season.

"Someone like Kuldeep has not had much of game-time in the longest format for a while now. But now that the home series starts, he will be in the scheme of things. He will be in the team's plans," Virat Kohli said.

Virat Kohli also praised Kuldeep Yadav for working on his fitness and continually adapting to the changing needs of the game. He observed in this regard:

"Kuldeep is someone who has got a lot of skill. He understands that there were areas in which he had to work on. He has worked on it beautifully in Australia. I see him fitter; I see his bowling is much more improved than what it was before. He is adding to his skillset as well."

The last time Kuldeep Yadav bowled in a Test for India was in January 2019 👀The spinner feels that he is now ready to make a comeback into the team ⤵ #INDvENG

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 3, 2021

Axar Patel is in the reckoning, as he is very similar to Ravindra Jadeja: Virat Kohli

Axar Patel can fill the void of Ravindra Jadeja, according to Virat Kohli.

When Ravindra Jadeja played the second Test of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the MCG, the balance of the Indian team improved significantly, as they could play with five bowlers and also have depth in their batting.

However, the all-rounder injured his thumb in Sydney and has been ruled out for the first two Tests against England. In that regard, Virat Kohli explained that someone like Axar Patel provides a similar kind of balance to the Indian playing XI as Jadeja does.

The 27-year-old has played 39 first-class games, scoring 1665 runs at a decent average of 35.42. He has also picked up 134 wickets and could prove to be a much-needed all-round package for the hosts.

"Yes, the reason was basically to have someone very similar to Jadeja's skillset or what they provide to the team, which Axar brings in all three departments of the game. So picking him, as I mentioned before, it directly falls into our plans," Virat Kohli observed.

With Virat Kohli alluding to the inclusion of both Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel in the playing XI, Team India could likely play three spinners and two pacers in the first Test.

The hustle never stops 💪👌#TeamIndia getting match ready ahead of the first #INDvENG Test at Chepauk 🙌 pic.twitter.com/tAGyMC0uZK

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 3, 2021

Ravichandran Ashwin is expected to lead the spin department, but the hosts still need to figure out who their two fast bowlers would be. Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma are back to fitness, but the impressive form of Mohammed Siraj could see him pip the latter.