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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