Kuldeep in the mix?

Kuldeep Yadav. Pic/AFP

On the day the Indian team arrived in Kanpur for the second Test against Bangladesh, beginning on Friday, the question in the minds of local fans was whether they will finally get to see an Uttar Pradesh player in the XI. There are three UP players in the 15-member squad, but all three were on the bench in the first Test, which India won convincingly in Chennai.

A star performer

The most prominent among them is left-arm unorthodox bowler Kuldeep Yadav. Whenever he has donned the India Test jersey, he has performed well, but somehow has been more on the sidelines than in the XI.

Citing the example of Ravichandran Ashwin, who excelled on his home turf with bat and ball at Chennai, the local fans feel that Kanpur-born Kuldeep should be included in the XI as he knows the conditions well, having grown up playing at Green Park. He can be a vital cog in the scheme of things.

Former UPCA director and selector Ghulam Moinuddin, who has seen all Tests played here since 1952, said: "Kuldeep will be a big asset on the Green Park pitch which has traditionally helped spinners. The trio of Ashwin, [Ravindra] Jadeja and Kuldeep will prove devastating against the hapless Bangladeshis."

Of the three UP players, the other two being wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel and pacer Yash Dayal, Kuldeep has the best chance to be in the XI. However, much will depend on the type of pitch that will be unveiled for the match and whether the team management would like to include an additional spinner, sacrificing a pace bowler. From the past trend, it can be assumed that India will go into the game with an unchanged XI.

Also Read: Will India pick one more spinner in Kanpur? Who between Kuldeep and Axar will make the cut?

If that happens, it will be a big disappointment for the local fans, as Green Park has seen just two UP players, out of 10 Test players, in action in the 23 Tests played here since 1952. Off-spinner Gopal Sharma made his Test debut here against England in 1985 under the captaincy of Sunil Gavaskar, and later, Piyush Chawla played a Test against South Africa in 2008.

UP-born Jaiswal in action

However, the fans will see a UP-born Mumbai player, Yashasvi Jaiswal, in action. There is another Mumbai player in the 15 with roots in UP. Sarfaraz Khan's family hails from Azamgarh in UP and Sarfaraz played Ranji Trophy for UP for two seasons from 2015 to 2017. He will also likely sit out again, after being on the bench in the first Test.