‘Taking wickets the only way to be useful to team’
COLOMBO :Chinaman bowlers are a rare species and India’s Kuldeep Yadav has so far maintained his shock value. On his Test debut against Australia in Dharamsala in March, his four wickets made a huge difference, giving India the winning momentum.
Brought back into the side for the third Test against Sri Lanka in Pallekele, Kuldeep took five wickets as India wrapped up the series with a three-day victory. He made an equally impressive ODI debut in the West Indies series, claiming eight wickets.
The 22-year-old, who looks set to get his first game in the series in Sri Lanka on Thursday, is eager to impress with wickets, and justify skipper Virat Kohli’s belief that wrist spinners will make the difference.
TAKING WICKETS
“It’s a bit difficult when you come from Tests to ODIs, the batsmen attack you more. In Test cricket you have to work harder to get wickets, but ODI cricket is also challenging as you only have 10 overs to bowl and the batsmen are taking chances against you,” he told reporters after practice at the Premadasa stadium on Tuesday.
Kohli wants his bowlers to look for wickets, although he has asked the youngster to focus on improving fitness and work hard. “My style isn’t about restricting,” he said. “If I try to restrict runs, I will probably end up conceding more. So, I look to take wickets so that the opposition comes under pressure.
“My thought process is very simple. If you are not taking wickets, then you are not being of use to the team. And my bowling style is such that I always looks to take wickets.”
LEARNING CURVE
Kuldeep believes he has come a long way since his debut. “In the last six months, I have learnt a lot, how you can handle pressure. As you face better batsmen, you will feel pressure and how you overcome that, these things you only learn when you play.
Kuldeep though will have to compete with left-arm spinner Axar Patel and leg-spinner Yuzhvendra Chahal for a spot in the eleven. “We have a lot of matches and there is competition for places, but you need to take it as a positive.”