Kuldeep waits on Test call after 6-wicket haul
NOTTINGHAM, United Kingdom: Kuldeep Yadav hopes his recent limitedovers performances will prompt India’s selectors to include him in their squad for the upcoming Test series in England.
The left-arm wrist spinner took a superb one-day international best six for 25 in his maximum 10 overs as India beat England by eight wickets at Trent Bridge on Thursday to go 1-0 up in a three-match series.
That followed the 23-year-old’s five for 24 in the first Twenty20 international against England at Old Trafford on July 3 — a series India won 2-1. His latest haul — the best by any spinner in an ODI against England — helped India dismiss the hosts for 268 in Nottingham, with opener Rohit Sharma then making 137 not out as the tourists won with nearly 10 overs remaining.
Left-arm wrist spinners are a rarity in top-level cricket and England’s batsmen are struggling to pick which way Yadav is turning the ball.
After the one-dayers, India remain in England for a five-test series.
With Britain, by its standards, experiencing something of a heatwave, pitches around the country are dry and receptive to spin, rather than the traditional green surfaces beloved of seam bowlers.
Yadav’s recent success, allied to favourable conditions, has led to suggestions he could be included in the Test squad due to be announced by India’s selectors over the weekend.
In recent times India have tended to deploy the experienced pair of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and left-arm orthodox Ravindra Jadeja as their specialist slow bowlers in the five-day game.
But as he reflected on his heroics at Trent Bridge, Yadav made it clear he wanted to add to his tally of nine wickets in two Tests — the last against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in August 2017.
“I bowled wicket to wicket and tried to vary my pace,” he said. “Talking about Test cricket, I am hoping for the call and let’s see what happens in a couple days when they announce the Test team.”
England’s top three batsmen were in devastating form during a preceding 5-0 series rout of Australia last month — which included a men’s ODI record total of 481 for six at Trent Bridge on June 19.
But on Thursday, albeit with opener Alex Hales missing with a side injury that has ruled him out of the entire series, Yadav removed an England top three of Jason Roy, Test skipper Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow in a stunning spell of three wickets for five runs ENGLAND J Roy c Umesh Yadav b Kuldeep Yadav ............. 38 J Bairstow lbw Kuldeep Yadav .......................... 38 J Root lbw Kuldeep Yadav .................................... 3 E Morgan c Raina b Chahal ............................... 19 B Stokes c Kaul b Kuldeep Yadav ...................... 50 J Buttler c Dhoni b Kuldeep Yadav .................... 53 M Ali c Kohli b Umesh Yadav ............................. 24 D Willey c Rahul b Kuldeep Yadav ....................... 1 A Rashid c Pandya b Umesh Yadav ................... 22 L Plunkett run out (Raina/dhoni) ...................... 10 M Wood not out ................................................... 0 Extras (lb5, w5) ................................................ 10 Total(allout,49.5overs) ...................... 268 Fall of wickets: 1-73, 2-81, 3-82, 4-105, 5-198, 6-214, 7-216, 8-245, 9-261 Bowling: U Yadav 9.5-0-70-2, Kaul 10-0-62-0, Chahal 10-0-51-1, Pandya 7-0-47-0, K Yadav 10-025-6, Raina 3-1-8-0 INDIA R Sharma not out ............................................ 137 S Dhawan c Rashid b Ali .................................... 40 V Kohli st Buttler b Rashid ................................ 75 KL Rahul not out .................................................. 9 Extras (w8) .......................................................... 8 Total(2wkts,40.1overs) ...................... 269 Fall of wickets: 1-59, 2-226 Bowling: Wood 6-0-55-0, Willey 5-0-25-0, Ali 8.10-60-1, Plunkett 6-0-31-0, Stokes 4-0-27-0, Rashid 10-0-62-1, Root 1-0-9-0 in 10 balls. “It doesn’t matter to me because I never bowl looking at who the batsman is,” explained Yadav.
“In my mind, I am only thinking about how I can contribute to the team,” he added.
Ben Stokes (50) and Jos Buttler (53) prevented complete collapse during a fifthwicket stand of 93 but they too fell to Yadav.