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Cricket Players'Lesser appearances in longer format haunt you': Former Pak skipper talks about downturn in form of Kuldeep and Chahal
Their meteoric rise even pushed R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja out of India's limited-overs setup. However, things haven't been the same since the showpiece event in 2019.
Before the 2019 Cricket World Cup, the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav was one of India's most potent weapons. They were bamboozling batsmen with ease and their wrist-bowling was becoming a mystery to the opposition. India won a majority of the matches the duo featured in before the World Cup as they went on to become one of the top wicket-getters in cricket.
Their meteoric rise even pushed R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja out of India's limited-overs setup. However, things haven't been the same since the showpiece event in 2019. Kuldeep has taken only 12 wickets at an average of 58.41 in 12 ODIs since the World Cup compared to 23.96 in 51 games before the tournament. On the other hand, Chahal has an average of 37.68 in 17 T20Is and has picked up 17 wickets. His economy rate is also not impressive at 9.13. In ODIs, Chahal has 8 wickets in five matches since the World Cup.
It can be clearly seen that 'Kul-Cha' haven't been the same since the event. Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt has also talked about their downturn in form and suggested the players to play matches in the longest format of the game. He said 'a good Ranji season' will do Kuldeep 'a world of good.'
"At times, lesser appearances in the longer format haunt you. When you keep playing the shorter formats continuously, your line and length tend to get affected because you're always thinking of getting through your overs as soon as possible," Butt said on his Youtube channel.
"The longer format teaches you skill and control. Haven't seen much of them in the Tests in the past. Ashwin and other spinners are usually preferred. I believe left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav is short on confidence. He can get the confidence, with which he used to bowl, back by playing the longest format."
"A good Ranji season will do him a world of good. Quality does not go anywhere, it is all about form," Butt concluded.
