Kuldeep Yadav Ignored'; Irfan Pathan Picks India's Playing XI For 4th Test at Manchester, Suggests 3 Big Changes at Old Trafford

India vs England: With all to play for at Manchester, all the talk is around the playing XI Shubman Gill would opt for. It is understood that ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah would be available, which would come as a big boost for the touring side. Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan picked the XI he would like to see take the field at Old Trafford. Pathan has certainly surprised us all by suggesting three changes in the XI. 

ALSO READ: Ind-Pak Tension Puts Asia Cup in Doubt as BCCI Looks to Boycott ACC AGM

And the strange bit is, even with three changes - Kuldeep Yadav does not find a spot in his XI. A number of experts have been recommending Kuldeep's inclusion and hence to see Irfan not pick him is a wee-bit surprising. 

Irfan wants Sai Sudarshan in the side in place of Karun Nair as he reckons the latter has struggled. Irfan also backed Dhruv Jurel as the keeper and reckoned Rishabh Pant should be there as a pure batter. 

Why Both Pant and Jurel in XI

“Rishabh Pant is also injured. But let me tell you, I’m in favour of Rishabh Pant playing as a batsman. If Jurel comes in as his replacement, the issue is that the Indian team really likes his batting, and he’s an exciting talent. You’ll remember that 90-run knock he played in a Test match in India. Anyway, I think he will bat well whenever he plays. But in wicketkeeping, Jurel will have to be careful. In the last match, there were a lot of byes on the leg side. That blind spot needs improvement. He has to keep that in mind. He did take a good catch, but there were too many extras in the last Test, and that made a big difference," he said on his YouTube channel. 

ALSO READ: Siraj Gears Up For Redemption, Pacer Speaks On Sharpening Batting Skills

Irfan Pathan's XI For 4th Test

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna