‘Warne’s tip helped get Warner’
Steve Smith’s seventh century in eight Tests against India put Australia on course for a big total, but debutant Kuldeep Yadav stole the show with a magnificent haul of 4/68. India fought back to restrict the visitors to 300 all out on the first day of the fourth Test here on Saturday.
Kuldeep’s spell negated the advantage created by Smith’s 134run second-wicket stand with David Warner (56) as India made a remarkable comeback on a day when there was drama even before the first ball was bowled.
Virat Kohli was ruled out of the match as he failed to recover from a shoulder injury he sustained in Ranchi. Kuldeep was named his replacement as Ajinkya Rahane became the 33rd captain to lead India in Tests.
In the first ball of the match, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, brought in for Ishant Sharma, lured Warner into the drive but Karun Nair at third slip dropped the catch. Umesh Yadav though struck early dismissing Matt Renshaw for 1.
Smith and Warner batted comfortably as Australia went into lunch at 131/1. Following the lunch break, Warner fell for 56 as Kuldeep got his first wicket, with his first delivery in the session. Umesh dismissed Shaun Marsh for 4 by strangling him down the leg side with a short ball.
At the other end, Kuldeep set-
Kuldeep Yadav, who bowled a magnificent spell on the first day of his Test career to help India restrict Australia, credited an interaction with spin legend Shane Warne for his success.
“Learning from Warne and then using those tricks to get the Australian batsmen out was a great thing. The wicket of (David) Warner was not a chinaman. It was a flipper which I learnt from Warne. I did exactly what he told me to do. I have followed him since childhood,” Kuldeep said at the end of first day’s play.
During the first Test at Pune, Kuldeep had asked Anil Kumble to introduce him to his idol, Warne. The India coach obliged.
Kuldeep told bcci.tv after the meeting that he had picked the legend’s brains. “When I walked towards him (Warne), I couldn’t believe that I was standing in front of him. He greeted me with a tled into a rhythm and bowled a solid 14-over spell in which he ran through the Australian middle order. He cleaned up Peter Handscomb, the hero of the Ranchi Test, for eight with a delivery that warm smile and it felt very heartening to see a legend embrace you in that manner. It was a great experience. I asked a lot of things about my bowling and the different ways to use my variations effectively. He felt very confident about my bowling and said he had been following my performances. Those words are like gold for me,” he had said in the interview.
On Saturday, Kuldeep recalled that experience. “I couldn’t believe I was speaking to my idol and sharing my thoughts on bowling.”
Kuldeep made an impact in just his fourth over by removing David Warner to end his big partership drifted away and spun back in to knock his stumps.
Kuldeep reserved the best ball for Glenn Maxwell as he bowled a wrong one which spun away to square up the Australian as they slumped to 178/5. Kuldeep set up the Ranchi centurion brilliantly, bowling two deliveries around his leg-stump before delivering one just a touch short to keep Maxwell rooted on the backfoot as the ball zipped past the outside edge to clip the bails. The rookie received plenty of support. Coach Anil Kumble walked up to him while he fielded on the boundary give him tips, and his control made it very difficult for the batsmen.
As Smith reached his 20th Test century, he seemed to have set Australia on course for a big total but Ravichandran Ashwin picked up his 79th wicket of the season as he dismissed Smith for 111 just before tea.
In the final session, Matthew Wade and Pat Cummins stitched a 37-run stand before Cummins became Kuldeep’s fourth wicket. Wade smashed his fourth fifty but fell for 57 as he missed a slog sweep off Ravindra Jadeja.
India took the second new ball in the 88th over and Bhuvneshwar removed Lyon for 13 as Australia were bowled out. India negotiated one over safely. with captain Steven Smith. After that, the chinaman bowler from Uttar Pradesh went from strength to strength, ending with a four-wicket haul.
The youngster then proceeded to dismiss Peter Handscomb with a legbreak for 8 before removing Glenn Maxwell with a googly, also for 8. He finished off by having Pat Cummins caught and bowled for 21.
“The first wicket was very special. The next two wickets (Handscomb and Maxwell) were satisfying as I executed the dismissals in ways I had visualised it,” Kuldeep said. Matthew Wade, who smashed his fourth fifty, conceded
India’s first chinaman bowler bags four wickets as Australia are bowled out for 300 on Day 1
that initially the Australians were struggling to pick Kuldeep’s variations. Throughout his spell, Kuldeep displayed tremendous control and guile. In addition to wickets, he ensured that Australia captain Steve Smith had to work hard for runs.
“I bowled to Smith for the first time and I didn’t have any difficulty as he wasn’t playing any strokes.
“Maybe he didn’t want to take any chance against me and looked only for singles. I was never nervous against
Smith. I have been taught that a spinner will take wickets even if he gets hit,” he said. *Kuldeep's spell is the second best by a chinamn bowler on debut D Steyn RJadeja R Shastri R Shastri V Raju G McGrath A Kumble NZ NZ NZ 2007-08 2016-17 1998-99 2004-05 12 13 12 11 Wellington Wellington Christchurch 78 68 66 64 1980-81 1980-81 1989-90 Lost 16.24 23.48 20.36 28.34 61.70 47.01 57.39 Lost Lost
Learning from Warne and then using those tricks to get the batsmen out was great. The wicket of Warner was not a chinaman. It was a flipper which I learnt from Warne. I did exactly what he told me to do.
6-49 7-48 6-85 7-48