Though Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jasprit Bumrah took honors on the 2nd day of the 2nd Test match vs England at Vizag to take India to mammoth 171 runs lead by end of Day 2, one bowler shares equal credit for England’s dismal performance with the bat in their first innings. Kuldeep Yadav, a left arm chinaman who was included in the test squad as an hamstring injury forced Ravindra Jadeja out of the team , shone bright when the time arrived and supported Bumrah in bundling out England for 253 runs ; 143 behind India’s score in 1st innings.
The left arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav has always been a vital cog in the white ball circuit for India being India’s premier spinner in the same. However in test cricket Kuldeep Yadav played his last game in Indian whites when India toured Bangladesh early in 2022 . In the first test match at Chattogram Kuldeep grabbed 8 wickets to get Man of the Match award only to be out of the test cricket for next one year as a result of coach Rahul Dravid’s workload management tactics to keep Kuldeep Yadav as a pure white ball bowler.
However this did not have Kuldeep Yadav low on confidence as he when got his chance versus England grabbed the opportunity with both hands to register figures of 3 for 71 in 17 overs which helped Jasprit Bumrah who wrecked havoc in the English camp with his decisive spell. Infact Kuldeep started the English fall after he grabbed Ben Duckett to break the opening stand of 59 runs for England which seemed to have been running away with the scorecard during that time.
Kuldeep Yadav’s immaculate spell of 3-71 in 17 overs
The Post Lunch session begun well for India with Kuldeep Yadav having Ben Duckett caught at silly point with some extra bounce coming into play. Ben Duckett fall gave India their first wicket in the match after 59 runs were scored by the openers . This opened the gates for Indian bowlers and Jasprit Bumrah capitalized on it quite effectively.
However in between Bumrah’s fiery spell, post Tea , with a partnership brewing Rohit Sharma introduced Kuldeep Yadav once again with Bumrah on fire from other end . This move worked as Kuldeep Yadav spinning one past Ben Foakes’ defence and having Rehan Ahmed caught at midwicket, with Gill pouching another sharp chance; to give Kuldeep his third wicket of the innings . This spell of 3 for 71 in 17 overs post return to red ball cricket in more than one year was a perfect foil to destructive Bumrah at other end.
This spell from Kuldeep Yadav has impressed the one and all including former cricketer now commentator Aakash Chopra who has been in all praise for Kuldeep Yadav.
Kuldeep Yadav picked up three wickets and bowled extremely well- Aakash Chopra
Former cricketer now commentator Aakash Chopra has lauded Kuldeep Yadav for bowling an impressive spell in England’s first innings of the second Test against India despite getting limited opportunities in the longest format.
Kuldeep Yadav registered figures of 3/71 and was an able ally for Jasprit Bumrah (6/45) as India bundled England out for 253 on Day 2 (Saturday) in Visakhapatnam. The hosts ended the day at 28 for no loss in their second innings, with a lead of 171 runs.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that Kuldeep Yadav hadn’t played for more than a year despite a match-winning performance in his last Test. He said (7:45):
“Kuldeep Yadav has made a comeback. The interesting thing is that Kuldeep Yadav is played one Test in a year. They don’t play him much. He was the Player of the Match the last time he played and was dropped in the next match. After that, he was never played,”
The former India opener noted that the left-arm wrist-spinner delivered up to expectations. He elaborated:
“Now when he was played, he has picked up three wickets and bowled extremely well. He dismissed Ben Duckett at the start and absolutely foxed (Ben) Foakes. He was slightly lucky in Rehan Ahmed’s dismissal. The ball hit very low on his bat and went into (Shubman) Gill’s hands but Kuldeep did his job,”
Kuldeep gave India the initial breakthrough by having Ben Duckett caught by Rajat Patidar at silly point. He later castled Ben Foakes and had Rehan Ahmed caught by Shubman Gill at midwicket.
With an impressive return in the first innings to red ball cricket after a long break, Kuldeep Yadav would love to make the most of the opportunity with the ball in hand in the second innings where the ball would be more effective for spinners during the last innings at play.