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Kuldeep Yadav finds his rhythm in opening Sri Lanka ODI win
The chinaman bowler vindicates faith shown by coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Shikhar Dhawan with two wickets in the easy win, teaming up with Yuzvendra Chahal after a long time.
It’s as low profile a series as Sri Lanka and India have contested but there’s no mistaking that the stakes are high for spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Written off by many after the mauling by England batsmen in his last game, after he went for 84 runs in the second ODI at Pune in March, the chinaman bowler is under pressure to prove himself again.
He was not even a certainty for Sunday’s series opener. Once captain Shikhar Dhawan and coach Rahul Dravid backed him though, the onus was on him to make it count.
The batsmen that the Indian bowlers are up against, performances in these matches is not going to be a proof of a player’s real calibre or form, but a bad performance and you are certainly going to find it difficult to stay in contention.
Around 2017, Yadav started to make his mark on the international scene by bamboozling batsmen, but in recent times the competition among the spinners has got more intense. On Tuesday, he did enough to stay afloat, claiming two important wickets and maintaining pressure in the middle overs.
He admitted to nerves going into the game. “Nervousness is always there before a match; I was playing after a long time. Initially, Rahul sir backed me a lot, motivated me and told me a lot of things, to focus on the work done in the last 15 days, and not to stress about the result. I am very happy with the performance,” said Yadav in a virtual media interaction after the win at the R Premadasa Stadium.
After Sri Lanka got off to a good start, Yadav struck in his third over, 17th of the innings, taking two wickets in three balls. He first removed debutant Bhanuka Rajapaksa with Dhawan taking a good running catch off an attempted slog against the turn. But it was the wicket of opener Minod Bhanuka that gave him and the team management confidence that he was getting his control back. The left-handed batsman was done in by classic wrist-spin bowling, perfect length and loop, the ball dipping on the batsman and turning to take the edge for a catch in the slips as he tried to drive. He finished with 2/48 in nine overs.
“The wicket was dry, it was spinning, so I was varying my pace as per the batsman. The plan was to not allow time for the batsmen to settle down. I am very happy with mine and the team’s performance,” Yadav said.
Asked if he had doubts about his career after being taken apart in his last ODI by England batsmen in their successful chase of a 337-run target, he said: “I didn’t feel that way, any player’s cricket doesn’t end because of one or two bad games. The wicket was very good in the series against England at Pune, there was no purchase for the spinners; it happens sometimes that the conditions are not in your favour. When a batsman plays well we should give credit to them.”
When Yadav was introduced in the 13th over of the innings, it was the first time Chahal and he were bowling together since the 2019 World Cup. Their spin partnership had begun at the same stadium in 2017 and for two years they had lot of success bowling as a pair in the middle overs.
“I am very happy that we played together after a long time. Maybe we are comfortable with each other could be the reason (we perform well together); we back each other, share inputs, have a good bonding and it shows. The way we performed was good for the team.”
Chahal, who like his spin partner has struggled to find a permanent place in the India team in recent times, also had a successful outing. He had a dream start, taking a wicket off his first ball by having the set opener Avishka Fernando caught by Manish Pandey at short cover. The leg-spinner added the scalp of captain Dasun Shanaka towards the end of his spell, finishing with 2/52.
