NEW DELHI: Kuldeep Yadavwho last played a Test match nearly two years ago, made a memorable return to red-ball cricket by winning five wickets in the opening innings of the first Test against Bangladesh.
Left-arm spinner Kuldeep has been a regular feature for India in limited overs cricket but has only played eight Test matches since his debut in 2017.
Kuldeep, 28, reckons changing formats has never been a problem for him because wrist rotation doesn’t depend much on the surface.
“Because of my style of bowling I don’t have any issues with changing. Yes, when you play Tests you need more control and you really need to earn your wicket because the batters have plenty of time to get get ready and measure yourself standing up,” Kuldeep said.
“Positions on the court change, formations are different and bowling in one area consistently for long periods of time is another challenge.”
Kuldeep has also adapted to test cricket conditions quickly as he said he had never felt he had not played Test cricket in almost two years.
Having set an unlikely goal of 513, Kuldeep is confident that he, along with Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, will be able to put his side to a 1-0 lead in the two-game series.
“Kahne ke liye toh do saal hain par mujhe kabhi feel hi nahi huwa (It could be almost two years (22 months) but I’ve never felt this way,” Kuldeep said, smiling and seemingly satisfied, to the media after his third five-wicket shot in Test cricket on Friday.
Kuldeep underwent knee surgery in 2021 just before the second phase of the IPL in the United Arab Emirates and was out for a considerable period before making his comeback.
“If I wouldn’t have played cricket after injury then it’s a fight. But for the past year I’ve been playing white ball cricket continuously and also played red ball series against New Zealand (series A).
“I’ve played long spells in this series. If you’re with the (national) team then you don’t feel that pressure,” said the 28-year-old Kanpur man, who now has 31 wickets during his 8th test.
As for the current Test match, Kuldeep felt the stadium track Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury is a batting belt, having himself banged at the wicket for nearly 20 overs in the first Indian innings.
“I believe the pitch is perfect to hit. It was really good to hit even against the spinners. Yes, some balls stay low and the weird balls spin. Me and Ash bhai (R Ashwin) were initially looking for a first inning score of 360, but over time the stick got easier, so we were looking at a total of 400 points.”
Bowling in tandem with Ashwin and Axar Patel has been a “pleasant experience” for Kuldeep as there is always relentless pressure from both sides which results in breakthroughs at regular intervals.
On the game position, Kuldeep believes that with 180 overs remaining over two days, the Indian side have enough time to conclude.
“We’re expecting more turns out of the box in the second innings compared to the first innings.”
(With PTI inputs)
Left-arm spinner Kuldeep has been a regular feature for India in limited overs cricket but has only played eight Test matches since his debut in 2017.
Kuldeep, 28, reckons changing formats has never been a problem for him because wrist rotation doesn’t depend much on the surface.
“Because of my style of bowling I don’t have any issues with changing. Yes, when you play Tests you need more control and you really need to earn your wicket because the batters have plenty of time to get get ready and measure yourself standing up,” Kuldeep said.
“Positions on the court change, formations are different and bowling in one area consistently for long periods of time is another challenge.”
Kuldeep has also adapted to test cricket conditions quickly as he said he had never felt he had not played Test cricket in almost two years.
Having set an unlikely goal of 513, Kuldeep is confident that he, along with Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, will be able to put his side to a 1-0 lead in the two-game series.
“Kahne ke liye toh do saal hain par mujhe kabhi feel hi nahi huwa (It could be almost two years (22 months) but I’ve never felt this way,” Kuldeep said, smiling and seemingly satisfied, to the media after his third five-wicket shot in Test cricket on Friday.
Kuldeep underwent knee surgery in 2021 just before the second phase of the IPL in the United Arab Emirates and was out for a considerable period before making his comeback.
“If I wouldn’t have played cricket after injury then it’s a fight. But for the past year I’ve been playing white ball cricket continuously and also played red ball series against New Zealand (series A).
“I’ve played long spells in this series. If you’re with the (national) team then you don’t feel that pressure,” said the 28-year-old Kanpur man, who now has 31 wickets during his 8th test.
As for the current Test match, Kuldeep felt the stadium track Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury is a batting belt, having himself banged at the wicket for nearly 20 overs in the first Indian innings.
“I believe the pitch is perfect to hit. It was really good to hit even against the spinners. Yes, some balls stay low and the weird balls spin. Me and Ash bhai (R Ashwin) were initially looking for a first inning score of 360, but over time the stick got easier, so we were looking at a total of 400 points.”
Bowling in tandem with Ashwin and Axar Patel has been a “pleasant experience” for Kuldeep as there is always relentless pressure from both sides which results in breakthroughs at regular intervals.
On the game position, Kuldeep believes that with 180 overs remaining over two days, the Indian side have enough time to conclude.
“We’re expecting more turns out of the box in the second innings compared to the first innings.”
(With PTI inputs)
