I’m successful because Kohli gave me freedom to attack: Kuldeep

KOLKATA: India wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav believes he wouldn’t have been successful had it not been for skipper Virat Kohli, who gave him the freedom to attack. “You need a skipper who backs you and believes in your ability to shine on the big stage. You think we could have been so successful if Kohli bhai had not given us the freedom to attack? I don’t think so,” Kuldeep said in an interview.

Kuldeep, who played for KKR, was badly let down by the batting friendly conditions at Eden Gardens in this year’s IPL as he returned with just four wickets from nine matches before being dropped at the business end.

The 24-year-old said he is looking forward to putting the IPL disappointment behind with a spectacular performance in the upcoming World Cup. “IPL is different. There are players who have done well in IPL but have struggled to make a mark for the country. I’ve matured as a bowler and by no means it will affect my performance in the World Cup,” Kuldeep said.

“It’s (T20) such a format, you may have a bad day where you’re hit for runs. I’m not a magician who will do well in every match. You cannot say I will take so many wickets.” By his own standard, an average of 71.50 in IPL is something he would look to forget. “If I’m not getting wickets it does not mean I’m not bowling well. Now I play as a mature cricketer and think more about the team,” Kuldeep said. Ravi Shastri, chief coach of the India team, raised an interesting point when I interviewed him last week for a TV channel. “Rules for the World Cup need to be tweaked to allow 16-member squads for the tournament,” he said.

Did this suggest a tinge of regret that Rishabh Pant couldn’t make the cut despite the plaudits he earned from all quarters in the last year, including Shastri? Perhaps, and the issue becomes more acute with the lingering suspense over Kedar Jadhav’s injury.

Look at it this way. The Indian team would be reluctant—and rightly so—to take Jadhav to England if he is not 100 percent fit. Even if he is 80 percent in the clear and the team’s campaign does not start for another fortnight (June 5 is the first match), it’s an unacceptable risk.

However, in a 16-member squad, with the cushioning of an extra player, the risk is largely mitigated, the team management would be less anxious and Jadhav’s place would be far more secure.

Jadhav’s is not an isolated case. South Africa have a worrying time till May 23, when the final squad has to be submitted, with two major players, Kagiso Rabada and Dale Steyn still recovering from injury. If an extra player was allowed, this would considerably alleviate their worries.

Elsewhere, Josh Hazlewood who has expressed his deep disappointment at being omitted from Australia’s squad, could have made the cut. The Aussie selectors have kept a leading fast bowler in cotton wool for the Ashes series. But in a 16-member team, he would be a certainty.

It can be argued that Shastri’s compunctions have come belatedly. He had been part of the ICC’S technical committee not too long in the past, so the issue could have