India, June 26 -- India's defeat in the opening Test at Headingley has sparked several conversations about selection decisions, none more pointed than Ravichandran Ashwin's call for Kuldeep Yadav to return for the second match in Birmingham. Kuldeep, who sat out the first Test despite being among India's best spinners on recent overseas tours, found a strong advocate in Ashwin, who called him an "artist" and insisted his inclusion could tilt the balance in India's favour.

"I 100 per cent believed that Kuldeep had a role and he would be a decisive factor. If Kuldeep had played, it might have been a different game," Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel. His remarks come in the aftermath of India's five-wicket loss, where spinner R...