Former Indian head coach Anil Kumble was really shocked when he saw India's playing XI for the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday November 14. Kumble was really shocked by India's decision to drop Sai Sudharsan for the ongoing Kolkata Test.
Instead, India once again went heavy on all-rounders, picking Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel together. This unusual combination now pushes Sundar into the No. 3 role at Eden Gardens, something he has not done often in Test cricket. Sai Sudharsan lost his place after a series of poor performances in Test cricket.
Anil Kumble slams Gautam Gambhir's strategy for Kolkata Test calls out Sai Sudharsan's omissionIndia has also placed Dhruv Jurel at No. 6, rewarding him for his stunning form after scoring two centuries for India A against South Africa A in the recent red-ball games. From their previous test against the West Indies, India made two changes: Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel came in, while Nitish Kumar Reddy and Sai Sudharsan were left out.