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 4th of 5th 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 3rd 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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Did the Indian bowlers messed up in WTC finals?

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Ravindra Jadeja Probably the most improved batsman in the world. I will write a separate blog about Jadeja. In this test, he showed why he is preferred to Ashwin though it was never between Jadeja and Ashwin. I have always said that Jadeja plays outside of India as a specialist batsman. Everyone knows that his bowling is non-threatening in English conditions. He may take advantage of a 5th day wearing pitch and that is about it. He paced his innings beautifully. The way he manipulated strike with the tail in the first innings was excellent. If only Pant had stayed with Jadeja, the lead could have been around the 450 mark. Shardul Thakur Shardul Thakur is not an express fast bowler. As such he can never terrorise any batsman with his pace. He is in the team in overseas conditions because he can contribute with the bat. If he fails with the bat and does not keep the economy rate down and provide breakthroughs, it is tough to justify his inclusion. After the enormous partnership between Pant and Jadeja, India needed one more partnership of 50-odd runs to establish authority over England. If only Shardul had stayed with Jadeja at the point, we may have well earned another 60-75 runs. A first innings score of close to 500 would have proved quite challenging but Shardul failed with the bat at the wrong time. Moreover, his bowling was not threatening and he missed an easy sitter of Stokes. Shardul was the star performer earlier in the series and as such this one bad game should not invite condemnation. However, Shardul must realise that he is in the team for his batting as much as he is for his bowling. In hindsight, would Ashwin had been a better choice than Shardul? Maybe may not be. The only reason that I am not able to emphatically say yes is the fact that there is no proof to the contrary. As Manjrekar rightly said, he is yet to take a 5-fer in the countries that matter. With age not on his side, it is anybody’s guess whether he will be able to correct that aberration. Mohammed Shami Shami is a brilliant bowler. We know that. Shami bowls some magic balls. We know that too. Shami makes the batsmen play more often. We know that one as well. Shami is unlucky. That is the problem. He is good and he does bowl lot of excellent deliveries but if they do not fetch frequent wickets, then there is a problem that needs to be identified. A couple of wickets in the second innings just when things started to look dicey for India, would have put the game firmly in India’s grasp. His record in England is a major concern. Just 38 wickets in 13 tests, under 3 per test is not the expected return from the premier fast bowler. It is unfortunate that despite his obvious talent, he has often failed to deliver against the major teams. This is the 3rd consecutive test that India failed to defend and Shami has a lot to contribute towards that dismal record. One good thing about Shami is that he showed maturity while batting in the first innings. He gave adequate support to Jadeja which is good to see. He played the short-balls much better than Shreyas. He will have to work with experts and see where is he going wrong? Does he have to pitch the ball much closer or short? Is the length the problem? Jasprit Bumrah The captain played a blinder and absolutely annihilated Broad. Sadly, it was with the bat. With the ball however, Bumrah once again failed at the crunch. He is quickly becoming the Kohli of bowling. For someone this talented, his match winning feats are less. He is the most protected Indian bowler. He has played all but just 2 of the games outside India. Bumrah is often given a break from tests in India. It makes sense because his action is so irregular that over-bowling may result in an injury but being the bowler the opposition plays cautiously and being the premier Indian bowler, to have failed to defend scores in the last innings on three successive occasions, it really casts a big question mark on his effectiveness. Whether all the pampering, is it really worth? The Edgbaston game was the 5th time in the last 10-12 tests that Bumrah did not raise to the occasion. It includes the WTC finals in conditions that is any fast bowler’s dream. Ofcourse, he picked up 5 wickets in the test but was still unable to break the Root-Bairstow partnership. I have written that he is becoming the Kohli of bowling. Kohli is similar in the sense that when faced with a target to chase, this is about Test cricket only, he is unable to win the game with his bat. He had a couple of opportunities in South Africa in 2017 and a couple more in England in 2017. Bumrah had this one apart from the two tests in South Africa, the WTC finals and the 2nd test in New Zealand. The last one was a long shot because the target was meagre. One thing to note is that he is not the rabbit with the bat anymore. He has certainly improved on that front but it is his bowling that is required. Mohammed Siraj Siraj usually is quite expensive. Even when he is among the wickets, he is expensive but even for him, this test would have been an awakening. He was literally taken apart by both Bairstow and Root. Towards the final stages, the way Bairstow toyed with him in the last over, any bowler would have been ashamed. These are early days and he has shown sufficient skill to become the mainstay but he must also realise that being the 3rd choice bowler, his chances will be limited when India play at home. Conclusion to the top and middle-order let India down This was a golden opportunity for India to win a series in England. Ofcourse, not when they were 98/5 but once a lead of 134 runs was secured, India must have accelerated quickly and must have built an impenetrable position. The negativity of Pujara, Vihari and to an extent Kohli and Jadeja, the recklessness of Pant, the inability of Gill to make a rare opportunity count and the impotence of the bowlers in the final innings meant that India were lucky that they had an upper hand for more than 60% of the game. Remember, we played with one player less because Shreyas is literally a free wicket. By the next time, India go over to England, some of these players would have retired and whether we will get another chance in the foreseeable future, is doubtful.

Before reading the top and middle-order let India down – 3, please read part 1 & 2 Ravindra Jadeja Probably the most improved batsman in the world. I will write

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“We spoke to a lot of the specialists about his injuries, but we did not get a decent response. This World Cup is important, but his career is more important.

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