Kuldeep Yadav or Axar Patel - Why Gautam Gambhir Should Pick Wrist-Spinner in India's Playing XI For 1st Test vs West Indies in Ahmedabad

India vs West Indies: Now that India captain Shubman Gill has made it more or less clear that a third seamer would be played in the first Test versus West Indies in Ahmedabad, there are speculations over who will face the axe. Will it be Axar Patel or will it be Kuldeep Yadav? Now, this is the question that would be giving coach Gautam Gambhir sleepless nights. While it would be interesting to see who gets the nod, in this article - we will try to explain why Kuldeep should be preferred over Axar. It is believed that the odds of that happening is less. 

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Kuldeep or Axar - India's Playing XI

Kuldeep was part of the Indian squad for the Tests in England, but he did not get a game in any of the five Tests, despite having coming close for selection on a couple of occasions. Of course, giving him a go would be fair as he would be brimming with confidence after his good show in India's triumphant Asia Cup 2025 run. If he does not get picked, it would not do his confidence any good. Also, it should not be a problem to get him in the XI for the first Test in Ahmedabad. 

The word is that, the pitch at the Narendra Modi stadium would have a green tinge and hence Gill and the management may opt for a third seamer. 

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Kuldeep Ahead in Pecking Order

For the unversed, the last time India played Tests at home was against New Zealand where Kuldeep was picked over Axar. 

So, the pecking order favours Kuldeep. At the moment, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar seem certainties, if that is the case, then purely for variety - Kuldeep, the wrist-spinner will be a better choice than Axar, who is a finger-spinner.