'He has not got better, he has stayed at the same level': Vaughan explains reasons behind Kuldeep Yadav's struggles
India vs England: Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes Kuldeep has remained the same since he arrived on to the scene, and the batsmen have figured him out.
India leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav struggled in the first two ODIs against England and was replaced by pacer T Natarajan for the final ODI. The left-arm spinner did not pick any wickets in the two games. In the first ODI, he was hit for 68 runs in 9 overs. On Friday, Kuldeep was hammered for 84 runs in 10.
There was a time when Kuldeep was an irreplaceable member of the Indian team, especially in ODIs, and T20Is. But his recent struggles have caused a worry for India's spin bowling department in the limited-overs.
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Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes Kuldeep has remained the same since he arrived on to the scene, and the batsmen have figured him out. Vaughan also said that there is no MS Dhoni to help him from behind the stumps anymore.
"Clearly, when MS Dhoni was behind the stumps, he (Kuldeep) had a captain and a think tank who could help him out," Vaughan said on Cricbuzz.
"I think, more so, it was the fact that Kuldeep Yadav was not seen by many teams, and he probably surprised many teams. And MS Dhoni behind the stumps intimidated the batsmen anyway because he is MS Dhoni.
"Just a yard away from where you are striking the ball. But I think it was also a fact that Kuldeep Yadav was new onto the scene, a young leg spinner and it always takes a bit of time for batters to use to the deliveries. What's he got, how is the googly coming in, what kind of variations he's got?
"Looking at him, I don't think he got better. He's probably stayed at the same level. In IPL cricket, if international cricket, if you are not bringing something different to your game, particularly as a leg-spinner - a subtle variation, change in pace, an angle change - so, I think he has been found out a bit," Vaughan said.
"He has stayed at the same pace, very very slow. He's got a slow leg-spinner and slow googly. These players got all technology to watch delivery over and over again on the video screen. They can see absolutely everything - any clues Kuldeep Yadav gives before he bowls those deliveries.
"So, I think, not every batsman will pick every delivery. But a lot of England batsmen are picking Kuldeep Yadav, and that makes it so much easier to strike. That makes it so much easier to hit it into the stands."
"That is what has happened. Kuldeep Yadav has been found out a bit, I don't think he has not brought anything new to his game. The challenge for him is to go to the IPL and bring in something different," he signed off.