In November last year, Kuldeep Yadav had to undergo a groin surgery. By that time, he had touched considerable heights with his wrist-spin bowling. During the five-match Test series against England and the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, it even seemed like a few of his wickets reminded you of the great Shane Warne – in terms of planning and execution. Unfortunately, injuries are a part and parcel of the game, and he had to spend some time on the surgeon’s table followed by a rehabilitation programme.
The unpredictability factor for a sportsperson doesn’t just stop at injuries. A few months down the line, when he returned to competitive cricket, the competition for places in the spin department seemed to have got a little tougher. Varun Chakaravarthy, who has up-skilled his bowling, was seen bamboozling the batters from Bangladesh, South Africa and England. Subsequently, he was also included in the Indian squad for the ODI series against England.
Just to add some intrigue to Varun’s inclusion, Kuldeep’s return to international cricket didn’t exactly go according to plan in the first ODI. On a Nagpur track that had enough assistance for the spinners, he could bag only one scalp for the cost of 53 runs.
There were even occasions when it felt as if Jos Buttler, the England skipper, in particular, was picking his potent googly. The counterargument to this is that Kuldeep has played top-flight cricket for almost 8 years and, on expected lines, the opponents would have studied his variations.
It is a given that as a proven performer, Kuldeep would be given a long rope to rediscover his touch. Also, Varun and Kuldeep bring different strengths to the table. At some point in time, there is even a chance of India playing both of them in the same ODI XI. Having said that, Kuldeep would be eager to settle into a good rhythm as soon as possible, especially with the 50-over Champions Trophy on the horizon.
After all, being in form is a bit of a mystery. Just some months ago, Kuldeep might have been at the top of his game. But all it takes is a small difference in the grip or feel to sow the seeds of doubt in a player’s mind.