Indian leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who is making up for lost time at the Asia Cup, reminisced on his England tour, where he was unable to make the starting XI in five Tests despite the circumstances being ideal for him. Kuldeep said that the tour was difficult, but he emphasised that there was open communication with head coach Gautam Gambhir, who wanted to prioritise better batting depth in the team.
The 30-year-old has made an impressive recovery in the ongoing continental championship, taking seven wickets in two matches. He shone with scores of 4/7 against the UAE and 3/18 against arch-rivals Pakistan, earning back-to-back Player of the Match awards.
“Sometimes, in 3-4 matches, I felt that I could play, but unfortunately, I couldn’t play because they wanted batting depth. The communication was very clear. I feel that that is a very important thing. Gauti was very straightforward. Sometimes, I felt that I could play, but as you know, because of the batting depth, I couldn’t. But it was nothing about skill or batting. I couldn’t make a place because of the conditions or the combination,” Kuldeep said on the eve of India vs Oman clash.
Kuldeep suggests that blaming others is simple, but real progress comes from self-reflection and effort. The left-arm unorthodox spinner has often found himself sidelined due to the Indian team’s preference for additional batting depth, often calling for an all-rounder’s inclusion instead, but he was quick to point out that his primary responsibility remains bowling and taking wickets for the team.
“You should always work on batting. But it is just that bowling is my strength. If I play in any team, I will play as a bowler. My job is to take wickets. If I don’t take wickets, there will be no space,” said Kuldeep.
“So it is very important to understand that you play as a proper bowler. Your job is to take wickets for the team. But practice sessions are done to improve any skill. I will continue to work on it. I have learnt that you should work hard in life, rest everything will happen like they are supposed to happen,” he added.
Match time in Duleep Trophy helped Kuldeep Yadav set rhythm
The Aligarh-born spinner, who did not feature in any matches for India between their Champions Trophy triumph and the Asia Cup, opened up about the challenges of spending time away from regular cricket. He shared that he used the period on the sidelines productively, focusing on improving his skills and enhancing his fitness to be better prepared for future opportunities.
“It was a very good time for me to work on myself, to improve my fitness and to give more volume to bowling because it is very important. I learned a lot. As a player, you learn a lot when you don’t play. When the team reacts to situations, you can judge from the outside. You have a lot of ideas about what you would do, how you’d react if you were in this situation. I got a lot of ideas from there. After that, I played the Duleep Trophy match. I was wicketless. I bowled 35 overs. My rhythm was set there and it was very important for me to bowl there,” he added.
Kuldeep, who plays for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, is currently the highest wicket-taker for the Men in Blue in the ongoing continental competition. With India’s qualification for Super Four confirmed, his role will be burdened, as the pitches in Dubai have typically showed a great degree of assistance to wrist spinners, coupled by his craft to turn the ball both ways.
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