In Kuldeep Yadav, India can see the future spin
Stepping up in the absence of R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav led the spin attack with a long and productive spell on Day 3 of the Rajkot.
From 6-1-42-0 to 12-1-35-2, the contrast in the two Kuldeep Yadav spells on Day 2 and 3 was evident. But rarely do statistics convey the full story. After Joe Root’s moment of madness, Kuldeep produced a brilliant spell of probing spin bowling in the morning session on Saturday that lifted India's gloom of losing R Ashwin’s services and being at the receiving end of Ben Duckett’s aggressive batting the previous evening.
Root’s dismissal with England still 224 runs behind and seven wickets in hand brought in Jonny Bairstow. The 97-Test veteran doesn’t have the technique to smother spin. He must attack to survive. With that knowledge, Kuldeep began testing Bairstow’s technique with Jasprit Bumrah bowling from the other end.
One spun in with little turn, outside his off-stump. The next one pitched on middle, targeting leg. By now, Bairstow was conditioned to face slow turn. The follow up ball was a ripping left-arm wrist spinner's delivery. It pitched on fifth stump and came back so sharply Bairstow was left protecting the wrong line. It beat him through the gate and he was rapped on the pad. Bemused, he discussed with Duckett and decided to review. The ball was shown crashing into the middle of middle stump. Bairstow was back on nought, his stay at the crease four balls.
Duckett, having completed his century overnight, was milking some singles with the field spread out but remained on the attack, still playing plenty of horizontal bat shots. Analysing the second day’s play, Ashwin had spoken about England’s high-risk game possibly bringing India rewards. India had to do some adjustments. Kuldeep buried the spinners’ ego and began bowling wider to the left-hander.
That’s a tactic widely used by spinners in T20 cricket. India knew Duckett would go for his shots regardless of the field. Even when Duckett’s sweeps would come off, the close-in fielder kept applauding, like Ben Stokes does to encourage his bowlers. Soon after completing his 150, Duckett fell to Kuldeep’s wide lines, caught at short cover after stretching to reach out. It wasn’t one of Kuldeep’s best deliveries but was reward for an impressive spell where he spun the ball consistently with subtle changes in lengths and produced many close shaves.
“I knew his plans were different (from day 2), to bowl wider. You would have to ask him, I can’t imagine that’s how he wanted to get me out. I am happy if a high-class spinner has to bowl almost negatively to get me out off strike,” Duckett said, taking a moral high ground. “I am just gutted that I hit it to the only man there.”
Kuldeep may have a different take. Before getting the left-hander, he had beaten him with googlies and built pressure with wide lines and length variations. Now, India believe they have a much better measure of Bazball. “They are not used to playing defensively for too long. We knew, if you bowl two dot balls they will come after you,” Mohammed Siraj said of his and Kuldeep’s long spells.
With the pitch beginning to take turn, Kuldeep continued to trouble Stokes and Ben Foakes by imparting over spin. So threatening was the left-arm wrist spinner that Rohit Sharma used him throughout the session, except for the last over.
For Kuldeep, to play back-to-back Tests and leave an impression after clocking nine Tests in his eighth year will fill him with confidence. That he was the main spinner and stepped up when Ashwin had to abruptly leave would have given him extra satisfaction. Ashwin is 37 and Ravindra Jadeja is 35. Kuldeep being able to find his feet in Test cricket augurs well for India. If he can hold his own, with his wrist spin and Axar Patel’s point of difference with his high release point, India have two strong bowling options to take care of in the immediate future.
