Win Projections to be updated soon
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has suggested that Kuldeep Yadav study from England’s seasoned spinner Adil Rashid in order to improve his pace variations. Manjrekar thinks that although Kuldeep has improved his speed to meet the team’s needs, he has grown unduly reliant on flatter deliveries, which has compromised his greatest strengths—turn and deception.
In the third ODI between India and England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Kuldeep Yadav made a comeback to the playing XI, taking Varun Chakravarthy’s place due to injury. A well-disguised and flawless googly was used to dismiss Tom Banton as part of the left-arm wrist spinner’s better performance, which ended with figures of 1-38 in eight overs. Together with Axar Patel, he was crucial in helping India defeat England by 142 runs by destroying their 357-run chase. In Nagpur, he had also played in the first game of the series, scoring 1-53 in 9.4 overs.
Manjrekar thought that because of the general disapproval of his early, slower deliveries, Kuldeep had purposefully accelerated his pace over time. He believes that Kuldeep is now more reliant on the pitch for improvement and a consistent game as a result of this change.
“Kuldeep Yadav bowls so fast that it bothers me a little. Although his slowness was criticised, the issue was that the ball was moving slowly off the field rather than through the air.
In response to that, he has made concessions, which is understandable given the expectations of the squad,” Sanjay Manjrekar said.
“He almost seemed to have to bowl more quickly in order to be on the squad. He is bowling flat and fast now, though. Turn and deceit are his true strengths. You become more reliant on the pitch as you bowl quicker because you accomplish less of that,” he continued.
Adil Rashid was England’s most impressive spinner during the series, finishing as the series’ highest wicket-taker with a four-wicket haul in the last ODI. Manjrekar recommended and counselled Kuldeep to learn from Rashid. Rashid’s success was a result of his skilful pace fluctuations, which ranged from the mid-70s to the late 80s and occasionally reached 90 kmph.
By contrast, Adil Rashid had an outstanding series against a strong Indian batting lineup. He got his wickets by breaking through the defence of the best players. His speeds vary greatly, in contrast to Kuldeep’s, who often maintains speeds in the upper 80s. “Perhaps he could learn from Rashid’s example,” Manjrekar said.
India has named Kuldeep Yadav as one of five spinners for the 2025 Champions Trophy, where his performance will be keenly monitored.
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