Former wicketkeeper-batter Farokh Engineer expressed surprise at Kuldeep Yadav's omission from the opening Test against England, calling the India spinner a "trump card" who should be used in all five games of the series.
India opted for a pace-heavy attack with four quicks and a sole spinner in veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for the series opener at Headingley in Leeds on Friday.
"I would have liked Kuldeep Yadav to be in the playing XI. He is your trump card alongside (Jasprit) Bumrah, I would have picked him," Engineer said.
"He is a quality bowler, and I believe it won't be easy for England batters to pick him," he opined.
The 87-year-old, who featured in 46 Tests for India between 1961 and 1975, also threw his weight behind new Test captain Shubman Gill, backing the 25-year-old to come good despite his modest overseas batting records.
"A few people have written Shubman off saying he hasn't got runs in England or he can't get runs in England because of his technique, but I beg to differ, he is a class player."
He was particularly impressed with Gill's leadership during the 2025 IPL season, where the opener led Gujarat Titans to the Eliminator.
"In the IPL, he captained his side pretty well. I thought he was calm and clever."
"I have confidence that he's a level-headed young man and is willing to listen to senior players like K L Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah. So, I think he'll do well. Let's back him."
Engineer also lauded Yashasvi Jaiswal, who struck a fluent 101 off 159 balls on the opening day, setting the tone for India in the series.
"Credit to Yashasvi Jaiswal for batting patiently despite being hit on the ribs. He executed his shots brilliantly."
Reflecting on England's bowling performance, the former cricketer felt India should exploit the home side's weak spin attack.
"England lack quality spinners. Young Bashir, despite having a decent Test record, can leak runs. Our batsmen excel against off-spin, so they need to capitalise on England's weakness."
Engineer added that while the retirement of stalwarts Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and R Ashwin has left a void in the Indian Test setup, it also paved the way for a young crop of players.
"A player of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin's calibre will undoubtedly be missed, but this creates opportunities for youngsters like Sai Sudharsan.
"I'm confident we'll see more of Sai in Test cricket, despite his unfortunate dismissal today," added Engineer, referring to the debutant's four-ball duck in the first innings.
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