India vs England: ‘I do have good plans’: Kuldeep Yadav speaks about tackling English batsmen at Chepauk

It’s been more than two years since Kuldeep Yadav played his last Test match for India. He was the only player in the Indian squad to have not played a single game in the recently-concluded Test series Down Under, despite being fit.
However, he is likely to find himself in the playing XI for the first England Test which begins from Friday in Chennai. With Ravindra Jadeja out due to a fractured thumb, the left-arm leggie is the frontrunner in grabbing the spot alongside Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ahead of the series opener, Kuldeep spoke about his plans to contain the English batters and the challenges which await him.
“England have definitely played pretty good cricket in Sri Lanka. The way they countered spin bowling in Sri Lanka, they are in a pretty good rhythm and touch. It will be a little challenging for me to execute my plans because I am playing after such a long time. But having seen these batsmen play in one-day cricket and having seen them play against Sri Lanka, I do have good plans. I hope I can execute them,” Kuldeep told ESPN Cricinfo.
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Kuldeep further assessed England’s key batsmen – Joe Root, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes. He said that it will not be an easy task for them to perform in India as they are going to play here after a long hiatus.
“Root has time to play his strokes. He also plays spin well off the back foot. Buttler dominates the bowlers really well. That is his strength. Stokes too is similar and keeps the bowler under pressure. Having said that, it will not be so easy for them to perform in India considering they are playing in India [in Test cricket] after a long time. That also matters. If they perform, then credit will go to them,” said Kuldeep.
Kuldeep also opened up on how his mental preparations for the upcoming England Tests. He said that if he gets the first game, he will be in a better mental space to feature in the next.
“When you play regular cricket, the confidence comes automatically. If I play the first match, I will be in a better position to play the next game. Mentally I have kept myself very relaxed. Accordingly, my confidence level will be peaking,” Kuldeep said.