5 reasons why Kuldeep Yadav can be the face of Indian spin bowling across formats

Kuldeep Yadav has had a year to remember. In March, he made his Test debut and earlier this month, he made his ODI and T20I debuts as well. A year back, he was still sharpening his weapons in domestic cricket and now, he is considered to be as the next face of the Indian team’s spin attack.

Let’s roll back a few years. It was in 2012 when Kuldeep had first hogged the limelight. Playing in the U-19 World Cup, he finished as the joint highest wicket-taker of the tournament (which included a hat-trick against Scotland), as India went on to lift the trophy.

Good performances for the Kolkata Riders had earned Kuldeep a national call-up in 2014 but he did not get a chance in the first team. When he did finally get his chance against Australia three years later, he showed the world what he can do.

Here, we list five reasons why he could be the next face of Indian spin bowling.

#5 A spinner who can bat

In case you didn’t know, Kuldeep can come in very handy with the bat. He is known for being a pretty good batsman down the order, one that can chip in with valuable contributions when needed.

Yes, he is yet to be tested at the top most level but his first class record speaks for itself. In 23 first class matches, Kuldeep has scored 730 runs at an average of 28.07. He has even recorded a century and five half-centuries.

Like Ashwin and Jadeja, this is one facet of his game that gives him an advantage over the other spinners in the mix. He might not be as good as Ashwin and Jadeja with the bat but he is definitely someone you can rely on to bat a few overs and score 30-40 odd runs.