Expect a lot more from Yadav, says bowling coach

SYDNEY: India bowling coach Bharat Arun on Sunday heaped praise on wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, saying the chinaman bowler is set for a long run with India.

Yadav picked 5-99 in his maiden Test in Australia as the hosts were bowled out for 300 in the first innings. They were 6/0 after being forced to follow on.

“Kuldeep is a very skilful bowler and he has proved it. He has had a very successful stint in ODIS, and probably he is the No 1 bowler in the one-day format. He is unique in the sense that there are very few chinaman bowlers around the world at the moment. Also, he brings the googly to the fore,” said Arun after the rainhit four the day.

We’ve come to Australia previously and we knew how the wickets would be and things like that - very similar to South Africa.

We drew upon all those experiences and said to be successful in Australia, we need to make sure we took the cut and pull out of the Aussie batsmen, focus on our strengths.

On bowling plans

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“And what makes him even more special is his ability to use the crease. He can bowl from over and round the wicket, and he can bowl closer to the wicket and also from wide of the crease. That gives him a lot of variety. And I think there is a lot to come from that young kid.” Arun said Kuldeep’s performance at the SCG could not have come at a better time.

“He didn’t have a great outing in England when he played (at Lord’s), but this Test would give him a lot of confidence. And considering a spinner and his age, he has got a lot of cricket left in him,” he said.

On India’s decision to play two spinners, he said, “We had played a practice game at Sydney, and also the T20 match. So, we were quite aware of the conditions that existed and also felt if at all we need to play two spinners that would be at Sydney.”

India did not enforce the fol- low on in Melbourne, but chose to do it here. Arun explained the decision in terms of freshness of the bowlers and the number of overs remaining in the game.

DIFFERENT SITUATION

“Yesterday, that Australia were 150-odd for five, and also taking into account the weather forecast, we said we would definitely enforce the follow on if we get them out pretty cheaply.

“This is probably one of the best wickets we have played on from the batsmen’s point of view. So, we were aware that to win this game we need that many overs to bowl at. Also the fact that weather was a lot kinder than what it was in the first three days and also the fact it’s a great opportunity for us to make it a 3-1 scoreline.”

Arun credited an all-round attack for the performance.