Author: Bobji

How have the Indian openers fared in IPL?

Posted on 14 May 202214 May 2022 by Bobji

This morning as I was browsing through, I read one interesting topic in Wisden. They have rated the Indian openers in the ongoing IPL. Rohit Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Rahul, Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Shikhar Dhawan & Ishan Kishan were all analysed. It got me into thinking. None of the above mentioned openers has fared well in the IPL. It is a serious problem for India because the bowling in the World T20 is bound to be much higher and that too in Australia. How have the Indian openers fared in IPL? Let me analyse

Rohit Sharma

I will start with India’s first choice opener Rohit Sharma. 200 runs in 12 games. By Rohit’s standards, these are paltry returns. He himself will be the first person to admit that he did do justice to his position as the captain and opener for Mumbai Indians. He struggled with timing right from the first game. Neither was he able to play aggressively at the top nor was he able to play the anchor role. This is a cause for concern, surely but how will this have an impact on Rohit during the World Cup?

I think that Rohit will hold himself well during the World Cup.

First, the World Cup will be in Australia. Rohit generally likes bounce. There is no one in India who plays the pull shot better than Rohit. In Australia, he will certainly get this rhythm and will be able to contribute significantly provided he plays positively right from the beginning. This is India’s problem usually because until they are pushed to the wall, India will not start positively but are content in scoring less runs without losing too many wickets.

Rahul

Rahul was the most successful of all the openers in the IPL. It includes two centuries. Rahul has always been a good performer in the IPL. However, I once again want to repeat what I have often said that Rahul is not an opener. His best position is in the middle order. Either number 5 or 6. He is a destructive player whose full potential will only be realised when he bats lower down the order rather than as an opener. Whenever he opens, he is undecided how to bat. Be it Test match cricket or limited overs. Unfortunately, the people who matter is yet to realise that Rahul is not an opener.

Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw has had a reasonable tournament so far. More than 250 runs at a healthy strike rate and a decent average. However, he seems to be happy with a quick 30 or 40 scored at a breakneck speed and eventually plays one shot too many and gets out. Perhaps, that is the role he has been given in Delhi Capitals but when he plays for India, he will be expected to do much of the same what he is doing now and a bit more. In the sense, he will be expected to score 80s & 90s thereby utilising most of the 20 overs. The one problem is that his experience of the Australian conditions is not a happy one. Will it have an effect on Shaw? It may but one calming feeling is that this is a completely different format. This is the format that Prithvi Shaw enjoys.

Ruturaj Gaikwad

Gaikwad had a fabulous IPL in 2021. He was among the top two run scorers in that event by scoring more than 600 runs. He alongwith Faf were instrumental in Chennai Super Kings winning the last year’s tournament. Yet, this year, he has found the going tough. Just like some new cricketer who after he had a great first year, the opposition prepares a plan, Gaikwad’s game has been studied by the opponents. However, I do not think that he has the game to succeed in Australia at the moment. He is young with age on his side. The board must give players like him a lot of chances during the A tours to various countries.

Ishan Kishan

The most expensive buy in the IPL. Has he justified the money spent on him? Absolutely not. Did he try his best? Ofcourse, he did but it did not help him score loads of runs. Having said that, he batted really well when he first played for the country. However, in a squad of 15 players with Pant a shoo-in, Ishan is fighting for a spot with Dinesh Karthik for the 2^nd keeper. It really is a tough competition because Karthik is in tremendous hitting form for RCB.

If the selectors choose both Rahul & Prithvi Shaw, I do not see a reason for Ishan to be in the squad because India will then require a finisher and Karthik suits this requirement perfectly.

Shikhar Dhawan

The old warhorse is quite flamboyant when it comes to IPL but he lost his spot in the squad longtime ago. The Indian team have moved on from Dhawan. I think that the selectors must not go back to Dhawan because there are quite a few contenders for the opening spot.

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Latest events from the IPL

Posted on 14 May 202214 May 2022 by Bobji

Bumrah amongst the wickets yet Mumbai Indians lost the game. Pant’s lack of impact. Conway’s tribute to Dhoni for helping him play spin. DK’s continued impact in the final overs. Finally, who is the leading contender for the title? I will try to quickly analyse the latest events in the IPL.

Last night, Bumrah took 5 for 10 in 4 overs. Outstanding bowling figures. Yet, Mumbai Indians lost the game by a fair margin. MI is anyway out of the competition and it does not really matter whether they win this game or otherwise. All they can do is try and finish one or two places above from the bottom. The point I am trying to make is why is Bumrah still allowed to play in all the games by Rohit Sharma despite knowing fully well that they are not going to progress any further in the competition? When Bumrah can afford to skip games for the country, what is the point in him playing for afterall a franchise which serves no purpose? For that matter, why is Rohit Sharma himself still continuing to play in all the games? India’s schedule over the next few months is completely packed.

Games that matter are ahead for India

Limited overs series against South Africa, final test against England, World T20 and other series. We need all the important players at the top of their form and free of injury atleast for the last test in England and for the World T20 but what is happening here is that these players are made to exhaust themselves in meaningless games. If Rohit or Bumrah or both of them is injured and out for several months, we can kiss our chances in England and Australia goodbye.

It is also the responsibility of the various franchise’s to ensure the interests of Indian cricket as being paramount. However, who will tell them? The board?

Rishabh Pant’s lack of impact

The pressure of being the captain seems to be weighing heavily on the shoulders of Pant. He is yet to play a substantial innings for his team, Delhi Capitals despite the fact that when he arrives at the crease, he is still left with fair number of overs to build an innings. In some of the games, he gets a starts and then gets out almost immediately. His inability in the middle order is one of the reason for Delhi’s poor showing in this tournament. They can still qualify for the playoff but it will take a miracle for them to win the tournament.

Conway’s praise for Dhoni

“I have got to give credit to MS tonight,” Conway told Star Sports. “In the last game I swept quite a lot, and I unfortunately got out playing the sweep. And he said to me, ‘I think the guys are going to try to bowl fuller to you tonight. So maybe come out and try to hit them straight.’ So he sort of gave me the guidelines to try to execute that. That’s what I tried to do.”

Whether Conway will be able to play spin better in a Test match is open to question but Dhoni seems to have had an effect on Conway’s batting. It will help him in the remaining games and perhaps, next year, he can make a lot of significant contributions to CSK.

DK’s continued impact in the final overs

A couple of days ago, against a good SRH attack, Dinesh Karthik scored 30 runs at a blistering speed. It came of just 8 deliveries. It proved to be the difference between a middling RCB total and an impregnable one. He must have been adjudged the man of the match but it was Wanindu Hasaranga who took that honours for an impressive spell but without DK’s runs, SRH would have been much more comfortable in chasing the score that RCB would have ended up with.

Anyway, the point is, DK has been hitting at will that he has posed a real question to the Indian selectors. He is not only banging on the door he has literally broken the door. It is tough for the selectors to overlook Karthik for the World T20. With Ishan Kishan not performing that well at the top and Karthik’s belligerence at the end of the innings, it is impossible to ignore him. It is another question whether Karthik will find a spot in the playing eleven with Shreyas Iyer & Surya manning the middle order and the Indian team will surely want to fit in a batsman who can also bowl. Does anyone know whether Karthik can bowl?

Who among the teams is currently the strongest contender?

It has to be Gujarat Titans. They are currently head and shoulders above everyone else. The manner in which they dismissed Lucknow a couple of nights ago shows how much better they are than the rest. They have multiple match winners in Tewatia, Miller, Shubnam Gill, Rashid Khan and Hardik Pandya himself. Their spinners are good and fast bowlers are decent enough. They certainly are the front runners.

Lucknow Super Giants on the otherhand are dependent on the opening combination of Rahul and Quinton. If either or both of them get out early, they will struggle to post a high score or chase a big score. Nonetheless, if Rahul stays at the wicket long enough, Lucknow is sure to challenge Gujarat

Rajasthan Royals is a one man show. Jos Buttler. With 3 hundreds already, he is capable of destroying the opposition on his day. Rajasthan will sincerely hope that he has two of those days in the playoffs to get them to the final.

The last team that is likely to qualify for the playoffs is Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, they are sort of a mixed bag. Too good on their day and awful on the other days. It requires Kohli at his absolute best for them to be able to life the cup and also a DK to be at his belligerent best. With Kohli woefully out of form, it do not think that it is easy for RCB. I expect them to face Rajasthan in the eliminator and they must prevail but for the 2^nd eliminator, they will have to bat out of their skins. Batting has so far been their primary problem. Bowlers have done reasonably well.

These are the latest events from the IPL.

Pujara serves a timely reminder

Posted on 9 May 20229 May 2022 by Bobji

Cheteshwar Pujara, the former Indian top order bat has been amongst the runs for Sussex in the English County Championship. It is not only the quantum of runs that he has scored so far but the manner of the runs scored, that is what makes his performance so far much more impressive. With such a performance, Pujara serves a timely reminder to the Indian selectors.

It is raining hundreds for Pujara

In 4 games so far, Pujara has scored 4 hundreds including a couple of doubles hundreds and a 173 not out. These are impressive numbers no doubt but when you scratch the surface, it makes one wonder whether these runs were scored against a good attack. First of all, let us remind ourselves that Sussex is in division two of the County Championship. This essentially means that the quality of cricket and of the teams will be of a lower rung when compared to division one.

At the moment, Sussex is placed 2^nd from bottom. Nonetheless, to score 4 hundreds with 3 of them, as Gooch will call it, daddy hundreds, is not a mean achievement. Pujara does deserve credit for making use of the chance that he has been given. With cricket in India being taken over by IPL during the summer and with Pujara not considered for any franchise for a very longtime except for one year by CSK, he did really well to opt for an English contract. In doing so, he ensured that he remained match fit and in the thick of things.

The strike rate is impressive

It is not just the quantum of runs that he has amassed that is worth noting but the way in which he has scored them carries even more significance. Pujara’s strike rate is in excess of 70 in all those games. Where was this side of his game for all these years? What made him bat so conservatively? This is the Pujara that the team needs. If only he had scored if not in the 70s, atleast in the 50s, his personal score would have been substantial and he could have put the Indian team in a much better position.

Weak bowling attack or strong bowling attack, the bigger picture is that at a time when Virat Kohli is struggling to make runs, he has reminded the Indian selectors that he still very much in the scheme of things. India will be involved in the 5^th and final test that will decide whether the series is won by India or will be drawn in the month of July. It is a given that India will go into the game with lack of first class game practise and lack of acclimatisation to the English conditions. I don’t see them play any game with any of the county sides before the series begins. Hence, all the players will go straight from white ball to the red ball and that too in alien conditions.

Indian batting is not on solid ground

We have all seen how India has struggled in 2011, 2015 & 2018. Losing 0-4, 1-3 & 1-4. Yes, last year the team played extremely well but let us not forget that the Lord’s test could have well been lost if not for a freak partnership between Bumrah and Shami. Let us not assume that the batsmen in 2021 were brilliant. Far from it. That partnership and a sublime hundred by Rohit alongwith brilliant bowling from all the bowlers have ensured that we are leading the series.

This time, however, things will be different. England has a new captain in Ben Stokes and with the expected return of Archer and Stone, their bowling is likely to be solidified. They have a lot of points to prove after a disastrous Ashes and the tour of West Indies, not to mention just one win out of 13 in 2021. Stokes is new to the job and he will want to start his captaincy innings in a positive manner.

With a lack of preparation, England will start as favourite

England very well know that it is just a matter of playing 5 days of solid cricket and the series will be drawn. In their own conditions, they know everything pretty well. On the otherhand, India will not be having a solid preparation and will approach the test not as a firm favourite but somewhat circumspect. This is exactly where the experience of Pujara in English conditions for 3 months will prove invaluable.

Things for India will not be this dire if not for the form of Kohli. Rohit Sharma was solid last year but with additional pressure of being the captain, an inform and performing Kohli will be solid backing for Rohit. At the current rate, Kohli will perhaps be the 2014 version of himself rather than the 2018 version. It is not just Kohli that is a worry. India, assuming that Pujara is not included, will perhaps have less experience in the middle order with Vihari and Shreyas Iyer.

Shreyas Iyer is a worry

Vihari looks solid and I do think that he will do well in overseas conditions but the worry is Shreyas Iyer. He is a sitting duck against the short ball and there are bound to be lot of them in England. He does not leave the short ball nor does he plays it well, rather, he plays some ungainly shots and ends up losing his wicket. With just 5 specialist batsmen and an unproven Pant & Jadeja in England, India cannot afford someone like Shreyas Iyer in the middle. The Indian middle order needs solid backing and Pujara has just about at the right time has been scoring runs.

Conclusion to Pujara serves a timely reminder

I cannot believe this because I was among the many who called for Pujara to be dropped after South Africa, when I write that maybe just maybe, India needs Pujara in England. If among Rahane and Pujara, one of them deserves a chance to comeback, it must be Pujara.

Warner saved his best for his old nemesis

Posted on 7 May 202230 December 2023 by Bobji

David Warner saved his best for his old nemesis, Sunrisers Hyderabad. It is no secret that Warner was treated rather poorly last year. The reason for that is still unknown. He was the captain when SRH won their only IPL title a few years ago. Yes, Warner was involved in the ball-tampering controversy and as a result, lost his captaincy but after serving a ban, he returned as the captain for SRH and dropped himself from the playing eleven after a series of low scores.

The IPL rules are such that only 4 non-Indian players are allowed and Warner just cannot afford to keep himself in the team to the detriment of the team. However, it seems that alone wasn’t enough and he was jettisoned last year. He wasn’t invited to the year-end party. At that point, Warner felt really low and perhaps even insulted.

“When you are dropped from the team you have loved the most for years without any real fault of yours and stripped of captaincy without being given a reason, it hurts.”

These were Warner’s words last year when he was dropped from the squad. Warner would not have developed any grudge against SRH but he surely would have wanted to prove a point. He would have wanted to send a message to his former franchise that they were too hasty in their decision. Hence, Warner saved his best for his old nemesis.

Was it a grudge match for Warner?

Warner himself didn’t say so. “My thoughts are like every other game, just keep going through your processes till you have to do it, training and just get ready for the game.”

Ofcourse, none of the cricketers will admit that it is a grudge match for them. Warner was no different but the manner with which he went about his batting certainly makes everyone believe that he needs to prove himself to SRH.

He did that so brilliantly. 92 of just 58 deliveries. The bigger story was that he remained on 92 when the last over began. However, he didn’t think of a hundred but rather asked his partner to score as many runs as he can in the last over. When Powell wanted to take a single of the first ball, Warner was vehement that he is not worried about the hundred.

“At the start of the last over I asked him if he wanted a single to try and hit a hundred but he said, ‘listen, that’s not how cricket is played,’ and that I should try to smack it as hard as I can and I did that,” Powell had said

The threat of Umran Malik

The highlight of the evening was how Warner dealt with the threat of Umran Malik, the fastest bowler in the current IPL. Australians in general are good against fast bowling. Anything short, they will easily rock back on the backfoot and punish the bowler. Bowl short to an Australian at your own peril. Warner is no different. He plays the pull with relative ease. So many fast bowlers have suffered at the hands of Warner.

Third delivery of Umran’s first over, the ball was short and Warner played a half pull half drive of the hips towards midwicket for a boundary. The next one was driven through covers for another boundary but the best was saved for the last. Umran pitched the ball short and at 90 MPH speed. Warner rocks on the backfoot and helped the ball over fine leg. Umran was immediately taken out of the attack. He did return after a few overs and Warner scored a boundary of the very first delivery.

Later on, he blasted his fellow Australian, Sean Abbott, for several boundaries and much of the same was instore for Kumar as well.

It will not be an understatement to state that the threat of Umran was sufficiently handled by Warner and that proved to be a major difference. Umran is known to pick a few wickets with his rapid pace. It simply is tough to face deliveries coming at 155KMPH. Warner took him apart in that first over and after that, Hyderabad did not really have an answer. They were neither able to control Warner nor were they able to get him out. He was simply irresistible against his former team.

Warner was the difference between the teams

Without Warner’s knock, Delhi Daredevils would not have scored more than 200. Infact, they would have struggled to post 150. A Warner special was required to propel the score past 200. Despite Warner’s heroics, Delhi still isn’t that well placed on the table. They are currently in the 5^th spot with 5 wins. One behind RCB but with the knowledge that their runrate is better than RCB. They still have 4 more games and can qualify if they win all their remaining games but for that, they will need Warner at his absolute best. They must be mentally prepared to play three playoff games to win the tournament because they are unlikely to finish in the top two. With Pant’s and Shaw’s inconsistency, everything rests on the broad shoulders of the opener from Australia.

Conclusion to Warner saved his best for his old nemesis

It was a mistake on the part of SRH to have treated Warner so badly after what he did for them. They would have realised their mistake by now. It was a special innings from Warner but will it be enough for Delhi to qualify? It remains to be seen. However, this does augur well for Australia. An inform Warner. Yes, the T20 WC is still a few months away and anything could happen between now and then but so far, Finch, the Australian captain will be pleased to see a Warner amongst runs. If he continues in the same vein, other teams better watch out.

What do you think of Warner’s game? Was it a grudge match for him or was he just getting on with his game? Let me know in the comments.

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Who is likely to be England’s vice-captain?

Posted on 7 May 202230 December 2023 by Bobji

Ben Stokes has been named the captain. He has said that he will consider very hard as to who he wants to be his vice-captain. There are quite a few contenders. Who is likely to be England’s vice-captain? Let me analyse. Who are the contenders? Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Rory Burns & Johnny Bairstow.

Johnny Bairstow

With a couple of centuries in his last 2 series, Johnny Bairstow is more or less certain about his position in the team. The lack of performance from most of the English top-order over the last year has catapulted Bairstow into the leadership position who would otherwise find himself out of the playing eleven more often. There is no doubt that he has rich experience and had been a mainstay until Jos Buttler took over the keeping duties. Apart from Root & Stokes, it is Bairstow who is likely to be among the first choice players atleast in the immediate future. The only negative will be that with Buttler unlikely to ever play test cricket again and the failure of Foakes in the West Indies, Bairstow may go back to keeping the wickets. In that case, the ECB might find vice captaincy somewhat of a burden on Bairstow. However, for me, Bairstow remains the front runner.

Rory Burns

He was a disaster in Australia and found himself out of the squad for West Indies. However, he is likely to make a comeback for the English season because his replacements weren’t that good either. They were unable to score runs against not so great bowlers and as such did not make use of the opportunity. However, coming back from a catastrophic tour of Australia, he must be extremely low in confidence. With a series against New Zealand who are good at exploiting the English conditions and being an opening bat and under tremendous pressure, will the ECB want Burns to assume the vice-captaincy?

James Anderson

Anderson is 40 years old with loads of experience. He has been a champion bowler for England. Being the vice-captain will be a nice icing on the cake. He was dropped for the recent West Indies series and suddenly, England wants to rebuild for the future. They have begun to think of Anderson and Broad as bowlers for English conditions. In such a scenario, Anderson will not be able to travel abroad. Will ECB want 2 vice-captains? One for England and the other for the rest of the world? It is highly unlikely.

Stuart Broad

Broad is in the same boat as Anderson. He too was dropped for the West Indies and off late, has been vocal about his teammates in the press. He would have been a good captain but for some reason, English cricket never utilised his services as the captain. Age and the fact that he is also seen as England only bowler is not in his favour.

Rank outsider

Apart from the above, there is one other cricketer who is likely to be considered. It is none other than, Jos Buttler. After Australia, his test career was as good as over but with a new captain and Foakes’s failure in West Indies, his career must just be resurrected. He will most probably take over the captaincy of the limited overs team from Eoin Morgan in the near future. Ofcourse, he is England’s mainstay in the white ball format. ECB and Stokes will hope that if recalled, Buttler will finally be able to fulfil his talent.

Conclusion to who is likely to be England’s vice-captain?

With Bairstow’s experience, he is most likely to assume the mantle of vice captain. England will also get a chance to test his captaincy credentials whenever Stokes takes a break.

Jadeja’s magnanimity and the emergence of fast bowlers

Posted on 7 May 20227 May 2022 by Bobji

It takes a large heart to surrender the captaincy just after a few games because it simply is not easy to accept that you have failed in something. However, Ravindra Jadeja chose to relinquish his captaincy of Chennai Super Kings after just 7-odd games. Yes, the consecutive loss during the earlier part of the tournament must not have helped either but still, it takes courage to admit your failure. Speaking from that sense, Jadeja does deserve applause for his decision. Suddenly, Indian cricket is blessed with fast bowlers. I will discuss Jadeja’s magnanimity and the emergence of fast bowlers.

Every player longs for captaincy

Every player will one day, want to captain his or her team. Be it in the local league games or international cricket or even at the IPL. Jadeja would not have been any different in this. The chances of him leading India in any form, unless as a standby, is quite far-fetched. The selectors seems to have chosen a few over the next 10 years. Rohit, Rahul & Pant are the front runners. In such a situation, it is next to impossible for Jadeja to lead India.

However, when it comes to IPL, he is among the seniors in Chennai Super Kings. When Dhoni decided to relinquish CSK’s captaincy, the obvious choice was Jadeja. I am sure Jadeja knew about this change few days or weeks ago rather than a day before CSK’s first game. CSK chose to reveal just a day before to avoid obvious pressure and needless questions to Jadeja.

Even his fielding let him down

So far so good. However, things did not pan out well for the new captain. 5 consecutive losses and poor form with the bat and with the ball placed an enormous amount of pressure on Jadeja. More than that, the one thing that Jadeja can be entrusted with blindfolded, failed him too. His fielding. First win against RCB would have lifted his spirits but mixed results after that game must have forced Jadeja’s hand. He could clearly see that captaincy does not really suit him and that he is better off concentrating on his game and helping his franchise win a few more games.

A statement from Chennai Super Kings read

“Ravindra Jadeja has decided to relinquish captaincy to focus and concentrate more on his game and has requested MS Dhoni to lead CSK. MS Dhoni has accepted to lead CSK in the larger interest and to allow Jadeja to focus on his game.”

He must have been aware that by this decision, he has ruled himself out of ever captaining India in any format. Nevertheless, it was a brave decision and it deserves good understanding on the part of everyone involved.

Fast bowling riches

Indian cricket is suddenly staring at fast bowling riches. This is something unprecedented. A few fast bowlers who can bowl in excess of 145 KMPH have emerged from nowhere. We all know about how Umran Malik is making heads turn and batsmen shudder. He is bowling his thunderbolts at 150KMPH consistently. He is likely to make international debut in the near future. It could even be at the World T20 in Australia.

Umran Malik is not the only fast bowler that India seems to have unearthed. There is Kuldeep Sen, the Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Royals bowler. He is not that far behind Umran but with the fastest ball at 149KMPH, it is seriously quick. He bowls this quick in every game and is surely an exciting prospect for the foreseeable future.

Harshit Rana is just 20 years old. He has already made his IPL debut but is yet to play a first class game or List A cricket. The delivers at 145 KMPH consistently. With age on his side and a good physique, he can only get better from here on.

Akash Deep, the Bengal fast bowler is another who belongs to this exciting group. It also seems that Kamalesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi as back at their best in terms of pace. Much was expected of both of them after their exploits in the U19 World Cup but T20 cricket seems to have derailed their progress. Both of them were expected to make their debut within a couple of years of winning the world cup but almost 5 years hence, they are not even knocking the door. If this IPL has resurrected them to their best, well and good.

The usual suspects

Apart from the above clutch, the other bowlers who are making heads turn have already made their debut. Krishna and Saini. Krishna has got good control whereas Saini has got raw pace but lacks control. If only Saini can maintain good line and length at high pace, he will be virtually unplayable. He has all the necessary attributes for a fast bowler. Pace, height and high arm action.

Conclusion to Jadeja’s magnanimity and the emergence of fast bowlers

Let us hope that Jadeja’s confidence is not that affected that will hamper him when he plays for India. As for the fast bowlers, yes it is an exciting time for India but it all depends on how the BCCI takes care of such a rare breed called the Indian fast bowler. The board must monitor their diet, health, exercise, fitness and the ability to maintain high pace for a longer period. Also, the board must not rush them to international cricket where they may lose confidence and at the same time, must not delay their debut. The board must find the optimum time to blood these bowlers.

Perhaps, a few games against the weaker nations like Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh will give them confidence that they too belong to the highest level before going onto play the stronger teams in Australia, South Africa, England and New Zealand. Indian cricket has never had such a luxury of fast bowlers to choose from. The board must not stuff it up. I will have to appreciate the respective franchise for unearthing such bowlers from nowhere.

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Kuldeep’s return to where he belongs

Posted on 7 May 20227 May 2022 by Bobji

There was a period when the Indian limited overs team were unable to look beyond Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Not that they had to because the impact these two vastly different leg-spinners had on the opposing batsmen was absolute. Kohli completely utilised the services of these spinners and reaped the benefits of it. The number of games that India won when these two played together is simply outstanding. Then, tragedy struck in the form of Bairstow and the England one day outfit. Both the spinners had a forgettable day on the day during the 2019 ODI World Cup. Their inability with the bat came into sharp focus because India wasn’t able to chase down a stiff target. Things went downhill from there for both of them. This is about Kuldeep’s return to where he belongs.

Kuldeep is a very rare spinner

Kuldeep Yadav, belongs to that group of spinners that is very rare. He is a left-arm leg-spinner. There is only a handful of them in the entire cricketing history. Not many pursued a career as a left-arm leg-spinner perhaps because of the fact that the overwhelming batsmen at the international level are right-handers and a leg-spinner bowling with his left arm will become an off-spin delivery for the right-hander and is easily negotiated. Nevertheless, Kuldeep pursued this rare art and for a moment, even became the premier Indian spinner. It was endorsed no less by a person than the former coach Ravi Shastri.

Ever since he made his debut against Australia, Kuldeep was seen as someone who has got that X factor in him. Someone who can be depended on wherever the team plays to pick up a bagful of wickets. The delivery to Peter Handscomb was a beauty. It was a traditional legspin delivery that sneaked between the bat and pad of Handscomb. It induced a collapse and from then on, India took control of the game.

Shastri’s proclamation after the Sydney test

After he took a 5-fer in his very first game in Australia, Shastri proclaimed that Kuldeep has overtaken Jadeja and Ashwin and became the number one spinner in overseas conditions. It is such a stamp of confidence on the bowler. Kuldeep would have been on cloud 9. He took a 5-fer in Australia where if my memory serves me well, no Indian spinner has ever taken a 5-fer.

“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. There is a time for everyone (referring to Ashwin’s poor fitness record in 2018). But now Kuldeep is our frontline number one overseas spinner,” he added.”

The downhill for Kuldeep

However, things did not turnout into how Kuldeep or anyone else had envisaged. It went downhill for him. Both Chahal and Kuldeep were split and after the World Cup against England, they never played a game together. Chahal is one of the biggest supporter of Kuldeep. Perhaps, just perhaps, not having his partner at the other end, must have affected Kuldeep’s confidence and as a result, his bowling worsened.

Kuldeep says about Chahal, “He is like my elder brother, and he has given me encouragement,” Kuldeep said. “He used to talk to me constantly even when I was injured. I sincerely wish that he got the Purple Cap.” (in IPL 2022)

Against England in 2021, on pitches that turned right from ball one, Kuldeep became the 4^th of 5^th choice spinner with Axar Patel and Shahbaz Nadeem preferred over him. It must have been the nadir of his career to have relatively new cricketers being played ahead of him. He didn’t help himself when he was not only able to pick up just 2 wickets but also, went for runs on pitches were the spinners were difficult to play.

Kolkatta Knight Riders did not treat him well

Surely, his stint with the Kolkatta Knight Riders seems to have played a part. He was seldom chosen ahead of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine. KKR were never inclined to play more than 2 spinners and chances for Kuldeep evaporated into thin air. The change of franchise in 2022, seems to have reinvigorated Kuldeep. He is slowly becoming the bowler that everyone thought he ought to be.

The renaissance has started

He has bowled beautifully in the ongoing IPL. He especially seems to want to prove to his former franchise whom he absolutely mesmerised in a spell that read 4-14 of 3 overs.

“I have probably become a better bowler [than before],” Kuldeep told host broadcaster Star Sports after the match. “However, one thing is certain that I have become a lot stronger mentally. When you fail in life, you think, ‘Where can I improve?’ You learn from your mistakes when you face failure in life. I have worked on it, and now I have no fear of failure.”

Delhi has given him a lot of support. He has increased his pace which was in the low eighties to mid-eighties.

Ian Bishop reckons, “Kuldeep has recognised that in order to be successful in this format ‘I too have to add a little bit of pace to the ball and be able to spin it’. So whether that’s been a deliberate effort [or not], I think that was good planning. And to see him bowl with more pace is actually working.”

He has also added a lot of revolutions on the ball which has added to his effectiveness. Unlike KKR where was the 3^rd choice spinner, at Delhi, he is now the premier spinner. That must have increased his confidence manifold. It has settled him and it shows in the performances on the field. Now, Kuldeep is forcing his case to be selected in the Indian T20 team for the World Cup.

Conclusion to Kuldeep’s return to where he belongs

The fully fit and a high confident Kuldeep is very much a necessity for Indian cricket. Ashwin is towards the end of his career and with Jadeja increasingly preferred as a batting allrounder, the gate may just open for Kuldeep the bowler. If he continues with his impressive form, he can very well become a mainstay in the Indian team within the next 3 years. A leg-spinner is an asset in foreign conditions. Everything depends on whether Kuldeep is really hungry to go to the next step. Nasser Hussain says that the current Delhi coach, Ricky Ponting, is the greatest thinker of the game. If he has somehow rejuvenated Kuldeep, Indian cricket will owe him a debt.

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