Kuldeep and Chahal are good, but need fine-tuning: Sivaramakrishnan
Former India leg-spinner L Sivaramakrishnan has said that he is willing to help the youngsters fine-tune their skills going into the 2019 World Cup in England.
News had recently come in that the Indian team management could be looking for a spin bowling coach to help the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal and now former leg-spinner L Sivaramakrishnan has said that he is willing to help the youngsters fine-tune their skills going into the 2019 World Cup in England.
“I’d like to help our spinners till the World Cup in the role of spin consultant/ coach, if the BCCI approaches me with an offer. The middle overs - from 11 to 40 - is the period when we need to pick up the wickets. If our spinners take five wickets in this period for about 150, they’d have done their job. Otherwise, you’re looking at a potentially dangerous situation, where the opposition’s middle order is set to lunch into a slog in the last 10 overs,” Sivaramakrishnan told TOI.
The former India leg-spinner feels that while the Indian tweakers are all quality bowlers, they could do with some fine-tuning of skills. “All our spinners are good, but need fine-tuning. Kuldeep Yadav’s balance while delivering the ball needs to improve. His body isn’t synchronized properly, and his arms aren’t rotating in a round manner while delivering the ball. Yuzuvendra Chahal tends to drift to the leg and middle, which means the batsmen can look to smash him to mid-wicket, which is likely to be vacant since the two fielders on the on-side are likely to be stationed at deep square leg (for the sweep shot) and long-on.
“If he bowls on or outside off stump, the batsmen will be forced to drive him on the off side, where he can have three fielders - two at point, cover, and long off protecting him. His googly will also become more dangerous then - of the batsman misses it, he’s likely to be bowled or LBW,” he explained.
“Both Chahal and Kuldeep have the conventional leg-break and the googly, but they can add a top-spinner to their repertoire. They also need to be careful to not overuse the googly,” he pointed.