3 reasons why Saurabh Kumar should make his India debut against Bangladesh

Saurabh Kumar is one of the new additions to the Indian Test squad for their upcoming ICC World Test Championship series against Bangladesh. KL Rahul will lead the team in the first Test, starting on Wednesday, December 14, at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

The conditions in Bangladesh assist the slower bowlers and India could be tempted to take the field with multiple spin-bowling options in the playing XI. Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is likely to be the first-choice spinner, but the second spinner's position is up for grabs.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja would have been the ideal choice to support Ashwin, but he is unavailable for the series due to an injury. India have three other spin options in the squad in Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Saurabh Kumar.

The first two have played a few Tests for India, while Kumar is yet to play an international game. However, India could consider handing the latter his maiden cap.

Here are three reasons why Saurabh Kumar should find a place in the Indian playing XI for the first Test in Chattogram.

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#1 Saurabh Kumar performed brilliantly in Bangladesh recently

India 'A' recently played an unofficial two-match Test series against Bangladesh 'A' in Bangladesh. Saurabh Kumar was a part of the India 'A' squad in that series and superbly scalped 15 wickets in two games. He starred in the team's innings win in Sylhet, picking up six wickets in the second innings.

Before that, Kumar accounted for nine wickets in two innings during the unofficial Test match at Cox's Bazar.

It's worth noting that neither Kuldeep Yadav nor Axar Patel have played red-ball cricket in the last few weeks. Considering his recent form and performances on Bangladesh soil, Kumar has a slight upper hand over the duo to receive a place in India's playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh.

However, the Men in Blue could also fall back on the experience that Kuldeep and Axar bring to the fore. It will be interesting to see how they approach the second spinner position.

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#2 India can try a new talent before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy

While Bangladesh are among the top teams in ODI cricket, their performance in the Test format has not been the same. In the ongoing ICC World Test Championship cycle, Bangladesh hold the last position on the points table with only 13.33% points to their name.

Bangladesh have played 10 matches, registering only one win. India, on the other hand, are still alive in the competition. They need to win at least five of their remaining six matches to progress to the final. Four of those six games are against Australia in the 2022-23 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India.

Australia are a stronger opponent than Bangladesh. New players like Saurabh Kumar could come under enormous pressure if any injuries to other players lead to their debut against the Aussies.

As a result, it will be better to try him out in Bangladesh, especially when he has the confidence of previously performing well in such conditions.

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#3 Long-term replacement for Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja is one of the best all-rounders in the world right now. However, his injury problems have not allowed him to play consistently for the Indian team in recent times.

He has missed several matches owing to injuries in 2022. Additionally, he is 34 years of age and may not have too many years of Test cricket left in him.

The Indian team is yet to find a proper replacement for Jadeja, with Axar Patel yet to fully prove his capabilities in the limited opportunities he has received. They can try out Saurabh Kumar in this series to see if he can play the role of a left-arm spin bowling all-rounder, who can bat in the middle order alongside the bowlers.

If Kumar impresses, he could be groomed as a long-term replacement for Jadeja.