The goal-scoring striker is suffering from a muscle injury sustained during the Champions League quarter-final loss to Real Madrid
Stand-in skipper KL Rahul backed the team's decision to not play Kuldeep Yadav in the second Test after India completed a 2-0 series victory in the series.
Bangladesh were effectively 26/6 in the second innings with India having an 87-run first-innings lead. Still, India were eventually left chasing 145 in the fourth innings after a fight from the lower order.
Spinners took 12 of the 16 wickets that went to bowlers in the third and fourth innings of the Test, but skipper Rahul backed the decision to go with the three quicks while not playing Kuldeep — the Player of the Match from the first Test.
"It was a tough call, knowing and understanding that he had just won the Test for us," Rahul said.
"Seeing the pitch before the game and on the first day, we felt that there will be assistance for both fast bowlers and spinners. We wanted to play the best team we can. And that's the call we made."
"I don't regret that, and that was the right decision. If you see the 20 wickets we took, a lot of wickets [ten] even the fast bowlers took. They had a lot of assistance and there was a lot of inconsistent bounce," added KL Rahul
"All these decisions we took, keeping in mind the experience of playing here in the ODIs. We saw that there was assistance for both spin and fast bowlers. Understanding that a Test match goes on for four or five days, you need to have both," he explained.
The win in Dhaka gives India a major boost going into the Australia home series with their chances of making the ICC World Test Championship final well and truly on.
ALSO READ:
The goal-scoring striker is suffering from a muscle injury sustained during the Champions League quarter-final loss to Real Madrid
'When we have bad days, we are so bad. When we are good, we are capable of everything,' said the manager
BCCI's honorary secretary Jay Shah said the star batter 'inspired millions worldwide with his heroics with the bat and immaculate display of character'
Amidst the sport’s global growth organisers Ethara will host a special event at Louvre Abu Dhabi to announce details of the race’s 16th edition on December 6-8, 2024
With their luggage missing, the youngsters entered the competition without their UAE jerseys - but what they didn't lack was the motivation to perform for the country
The American reinforces his dominant position as No 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking for a fourth victory in five outings
Former Ryder Cup player employed a unique putting technique to edge David Toms for first victory in five years
A former amateur champion in the UK the Newcastle-native says his short game has improved since relocating to the UAE