Countering dew: Kuldeep bowls with wet ball at nets

By Kushan Sarkar

New Delhi, Oct 31 (PTI) Anticipating that gripping the ball may prove to be a stiff challenge because of dew, Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav was today seen practising with the wet ball on the eve of the Twenty20 series-opener against New Zealand, here.

Dew has always been prevalent whenever Indian teams play at home from October to January. Any score becomes chase-able under lights during this time of the year as bowlers find it extremely difficult to grip the ball.

During the optional net session in the afternoon, Kuldeep was seen soaking the white cherry in mineral water after every second delivery.

The idea was conceived by bowling coach Bharat Arun, who was seen discussing the strategy with the Chinaman bowler. India paceman Bhuvneshwar Kumar had also adopted the same strategy to prepare himself for death bowling in the past.

Bowling with the wet ball will help Kuldeep learn to get more control as it turns into a slippery bar of soap after gripping. The wet ball also skids off the pitch making it easier for batsmen to score

For a wrist spinner, the grip becomes all the more important as there are more chances of wet ball slipping out of the hand.

Kuldeep primarily bowled to Dinesh Karthik at the nets but the batsman was seen negotiating the deliveries easily.

In between, he asked scribes at what time in the evening dew factor sets in.

During the net session, rookie Shreyas Iyer was hit on the right forearm by a throw-down from support staff member Raghavendra.

Iyer looked in pain and did not take any further part in the nets after that