Four days since India’s annihilation of Pakistan, the incisive spell of Kuldeep Yadav in Ahmedabad continues to mesmerise the opposition.
The left-arm chinaman has always been Pakistan’s nemesis, his dismissal of Babar Azam in the last World Cup at Old Trafford still remains a wrist spinner’s classic display of deluding a batter.
Having assumed the role of a more aggressive bowler in this edition, Kuldeep is just not content with tying down the batters in the middle overs. His attacking instincts have made it a tad easier for Rohit Sharma.
“Tang karega (he will bother us),” was how Wasim Akram had warned their batters before the showdown on a Pakistani TV show. As it turned out, Kuldeep’s two wickets of Saud Shakeel and Iftikhar Ahmed in the 33rd over triggered the collapse once Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah had accounted for Babar and Mohammad Rizwan, respectively.
In a bid to break out of jail when Kuldeep bowled 17 dots in his first five overs, both Babar and Rizwan tried the sweep. An LBW appeal was negated but Kuldeep didn’t show desperation. Shakeel’s dismissal was the making of Kuldeep as the batter froze in his crease while Iftikhar should have been more alert.
His increased pace, along with vicious turn and drift, has meant that the batters don’t have enough time to read him off the pitch. No wonder Bangladesh batters tried practising against left-arm tweakers at nets.
“Kuldeep has worked on certain things. We’ve worked with him on his action, and you can translate that in the way he has bowled. His speed has gone up. His accuracy is up there, hitting those lengths consistently... He is a wicket-taking option for us,” bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said on Wednesday.
Has the mental aspect been dealt with too considering he had to go through a five-month recovery phase following knee surgery in 2021?
“It’s important to be in the right frame of mind, in the right space... And that’s something we worked on,” he said.
The results are showing. Kuldeep has 38 wickets in 20 ODIs this year. His growing threat has forced teams to rework plans. How Bangladesh counter him could decide Thursday’s outcome.
