Kuldeep Yadav put on a masterclass with the ball on day 1 of the final Test against England in Dharamsala and ended up with 5-72. The wrist-spinner employed both his stock ball and the googly to great effect to leave England searching for answers.
The highlight of Kuldeep’s spells was how he once again flummoxed the England opener, Zak Crawley. The Kent batter has been in fine form in the ongoing Test series, but he has succumbed to a couple of peaches from Kuldeep. In Dharamsala, he was done in by the considerable turn and flight imparted by Kuldeep.
“I am enjoying my game,” Kuldeep told the host broadcaster after the day’s play. “To be honest, I put a lot of hard work after my surgery in 2021. I worked on my pace, it’s very important when you play a Test match in India. I am just enjoying my bowling. I liked the Zak Crawley wicket. He batted really well throughout the series, he is a good player of spin.”
Kuldeep also shared his thoughts on how he has matured as a bowler. With time, he has focussed more on bowling in the right areas and doesn’t go searching for wickets. “It’s important not to think about the wicket and I am someone who relies on my skill and variation in length,” he said. “Not to think about what the wicket is going to produce. Just focus on the areas. When I was very young, I used to overthink on how to get the batter out. Slowly, I matured as a spinner.”
Kuldeep also pointed out that Ben Stokes, the England skipper, and Ollie Pope, the No. 3 batter, weren’t picking his variations. “Ben Stokes, I thought, isn’t picking the wrong ‘un and that’s a good thing for me,” he said. “He (Pope) stepped out a bit early. (Jurel and) Even Sarfaraz was saying the same thing: he is going to step out, he is not comfortable.
“Wind is awesome here, and I love bowling when the wind is on, you can get drift on both sides. Flipper, top spinner, googly are variations. It’s important to put more revs on the ball, sometimes I overdo and fall short. Spinning the ball is very important.”
Kuldeep also praised R Ashwin’s down-to-earth nature. The veteran bowler bagged four wickets in his 100th Test. Incidentally, Ashwin asked Kuldeep to lead the team off the field after India wrapped up England’s first innings for 218. “He (Ashwin) is very kind and humble,” said Kuldeep. “Playing the 100th Test for India is unbelievable. Lovely to have him around. I thought he deserved that (match ball and to lead the side off the field). He said: ‘I have 35, you keep this one.’”