Kuldeep Yadav asks, 'what more?'
20 minutes before the toss was to happen for the first test match between Sri Lanka and India, the Indian team huddle burst into an applause. Hardik Pandya, India’s new-found sensational all-rounder was being handed India’s 289th test cap.
Irrespective of where you come from and who your cricketing idols were, while growing up, all that you want as an aspiring cricketer is to wear whites for your country. To play the longest format of the game for your country. Even for Pandya, who is a limited-overs’ specialist, this meant a lot.
But in that same huddle was someone who knew what that joy meant. The joy of being handed the test cap for your nation. Kuldeep Yadav, another young Indian sensation, one of a kind left-arm unorthodox. When he was handed his debut cap against Australia in the final test in Dharamsala, it seemed like all that labour and heaps and heaps of wickets in the domestic circuit were finally paying off for Yadav.
And he didn't disappoint. In the first innings, he scalped a four-for dismissing the likes of David Warner, Peter Handscomb and Glenn Maxwell. All of these were his wickets. Quite often in test-cricket, bowlers feast on unforced errors from batsmen, but these wickets from Yadav weren’t that.
These were well-deserved wickets which resulted because of some extremely skilful bowling. The wicket of Maxwell, for instance, was an excellent loopy wrong’un, which, until it pitched, seemed like a conventional leg-spinner.
Post this impressive performance and a decent IPL a place in the Champions Trophy squad seemed well within reach for Yadav.
Save, for it wasn’t.
It was only after Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah (who had an extensive IPL for Mumbai Indians) were rested from the Tour of the West Indies that Yadav got a place in the limited overs side. Here too, he impressed one and impressed all.
Bowling in the right areas, always attacking, and always looking for a wicket. Watching Kuldeep bowl was a breath of fresh air in an era of defensive line spin bowlers in limited overs.
Eight wickets in four ODIs were a testament of Kuldeep’s readiness to play cricket at the highest level. He only consolidated that by ripping through the Sri Lankan Board President’s XI in the practice match.
Picking up 4/14 in the one-off warm up test-match, Kuldeep announced, not for the first time, that it’d be very hard to ignore him. And yet, on the morning of the First test at Galle, he was.
While Pandya’s selection in the playing XI may offer a better balance, an inconsistency in his bowling (which is a possibility) may leave India a bowler short. Something that seems apparent with the Sri Lankan attack at the moment.
The designated fifth bowler for them, Asela Gunaratne, wasn’t available to bowl as he injured his thumb while trying to catch an edge from Shikhar Dhawan at slips. Now, with four bowlers on a track which seems extremely friendly to bat on, Sri Lankan bowlers will struggle to contain a batting lineup as puissant as the Indians’.
This might be a threat for India too in case their fifth bowler struggles to find his rhythm. Also, the Galle pitch has traditionally been known as a good batting track which starts breaking from the third day onwards, which is roughly around the time Indians will come out to bowl. Yadav could’ve been very handy on a track like that with his repertoire.
To play for the Indian Cricket Team is always a dream that many cherish but only a few are able to live. It’s only 11 players who eventually make it to any game. There’s competition for virtually every spot in the team.
And frankly, Kuldeep has done whatever was asked of him to earn a spot in the side.
This isn't to, even for a moment, discount Pandya’s calibre, talent or his contributions to the side. But in the scheme of things, given how pitches in Sri Lanka are likely to behave, a mystery chinaman bowler is a more prudent pick over a fast-bowling all-rounder.
It is interesting that the Indian Captain, Virat Kohli, at the toss said that the team is looking at Pandya as a wicket taking bowler. But Pandya’s First Class record doesn’t reflect that he is indeed a wicket taking bowler.
Having played 17 First Class games, Pandya has bagged just 24 wickets at an average of a shade under 36. Juxtaposed to Kuldeep who has picked up 85 wickets in the 24 First Class matches that he has played.
The team management must be wary of the consequences of keeping a rare talent like Kuldeep on the sidelines for long. He has done everything that has been asked of him.
He must figure in the scheme of things for India before he is compelled to ask, ‘what more?’
Also Read: 5 reasons why Kuldeep Yadav can be the face of Indian spin bowling across formats