Ravi Shastri: If we pick 1 spinner in a Test, it will be Kuldeep Yadav

India's wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav is firmly ahead of veteran Ravichandran Ashwin in the pecking order as India's frontline spinner on foreign soil, head coach Ravi Shastri asserted, citing his five-wicket haul against Australia in the Sydney Test this year.

Shastri made it clear that going forward, wrist spinners will be in vogue in Test cricket and Kuldeep is "already" ahead of Ashwin and Jadeja as country's No. 1 spinner.

Ravi Shastri and R Ashwin

"Already! He plays overseas Test cricket and he gets five wickets, so he becomes our primary overseas spinner. Going ahead, if we have to play one spinner, he is the one we will pick," Shastri told Cricbuzz.

"There is a time for everyone [referring to Ashwin's poor fitness record in 2018]. But now Kuldeep is our frontline No. 1 overseas spinner," he added. Kuldeep bagged a fifer in the rain-affected Sydney Test and most of the Australian batsmen failed to read him. "I was very impressed with the way Kuldeep bowled in Sydney. Even in Test cricket, it is going to be the age of wrist spin, especially in overseas Test cricket. The way he bowled in Sydney, he becomes our No. 1 spinner in overseas Test cricket," Shastri said.

Cheteshwar Pujara was a revelation during the tour of Australia where he played a massive role in the country's first-ever 2-1 series win, fetching the player of the series award for it.

However, the same Pujara was dropped for the first Test against England in Birmingham and Shastri revealed how a minor glitch in his stance was corrected, which wasn't entirely technical.

"It wasn't a technical issue. It was in his posture and the way he stood at the crease. It was a small thing, which can happen when you have played day in, and day out. I felt it was an issue," Shastri said.

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