"My T20 record is like no one else"- Kuldeep Yadav confident about T20 World Cup berth [Exclusive]
Kuldeep Yadav has been one of the most talked-about Indian cricketers over the past few years. The left-arm wrist-spinner burst onto the scene in the U19 World Cup back in 2014 where he picked up a hat-trick. Although he had to wait a while to make his international debut, there was no looking back for the youngster.
Bamboozling the opposition batsmen with his subtle variations, Kuldeep Yadav soon became a fan favorite and was one of India's biggest match-winners in white-ball cricket. However, the team's combination as well as the arrival of new talent has seen the 26-year-old get fewer chances than he would have liked.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Kuldeep Yadav opened up about his journey with Team India so far, his chances of making it to the T20 World Cup squad, and much more!
Kuldeep Yadav's partnership with Yuzvendra Chahal
Team India made a bold decision to break the partnership between Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja after their loss in the 2017 Champions Trophy final against Pakistan. Skipper Virat Kohli realized wrist-spin was the way to go forward and introduced the partnership of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
"kul-cha" as they were called by their fans, the duo absolutely destroyed opposition batting line-ups in the middle-overs. India began to win ODIs consistently away from home, be it in New Zealand, Australia or South Africa.
Both Kuldeep Yadav and Chahal bossed the middle-overs and batsmen had little clue about the spin and drift that they generated. India seemed firm favorites to win the 2019 World Cup with the wrist-spin duo being their main weapon.
However, England's onslaught against them in the World Cup forced India to change their strategy. The partnership between Kuldeep and Chahal was broken to bring in Jadeja and the duo haven't played ever since. Kuldeep Yadav explained the effect this had on both his and Chahal's bowling.
"It is never easy when a partnership is broken because when you are bowling in tandem, there's a particular mindset. For both me and Chahal, the mindset was always the same when we played together, and that was to attack and pick wickets in the middle-overs. We haven't played together since the World Cup so it does make a difference. Either he played or I played but then we weren't able to dominate individually. When we were bowling in a pair, we used to pick 5-6 wickets in the middle-overs," Kuldeep Yadav stated.
However, Kuldeep Yadav also gave a logical reason as to why his partnership with Chahal had to be sacrificed to satisfy the team combination. He added:
"But the team combination plays an important role I feel. When Hardik got injured and he wasn't able to bowl, we need a fifth bowler who can bat and Jadeja fit nicely into the team balance. We did have to sacrifice our place but it was the team's welfare that was our main goal."
One of the main reasons why Team India had to break Kuldeep and Chahal's partnership was due to the fact that their tail became longer than they would have liked. However, the 26-year-old believes he is a capable batsman and will be much more impactful if he gets to face more deliveries.
''Absolutely I'll perform if I get the opportunity to bat. It's not that I haven't scored any runs in international cricket. Whatever number of overs I got to bat be it three or four, I always scored 15-20 runs. If you get to bat regularly then your batting improves and you get the confidence be it international or domestic cricket. If you perform with the ball then you are considered as a pure bowler. But I do feel I can also contribute with the bat since I have performed well in domestic cricket and I do have the ability," Kuldeep Yadav opined.
Kuldeep Yadav's memorable start to Test cricket
To have three international hat-tricks is no mean feat in cricket. But Kuldeep Yadav's most impactful performance was arguably his spell at Dharamsala on his Test debut against Australia in the 2017 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
With the series tied at 1-1 and without their skipper, Team India simply had to win the fourth Test to make sure Australia didn't take back the trophy. The visitors started well in Dharamsala, with Steve Smith and David Warner looking set to get a big first-innings score for Australia.
However, Kuldeep Yadav's four-fer skittled Australia from 150-1 to 300 all-out. India ended up winning that game comfortably and won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Recalling his sensational Test debut, here's what Kuldeep had to say:
"It was a really important performance according to the context of the Indian team. I still remember they were 150-1 and after that they were bowled out for 300. It was a huge achievement because it was a batting wicket and it wasn't spinning as the pitch in Dharamsala has good seam and bounce. There is nervousness and a bit of pressure on debut but contributing for the team was really satisfying and I had the passion to do well for my team."
Inconsistent chances in Tests for Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav had a brilliant start to his Test career, picking up 24 wickets in his first six Tests, including a fifer at the Sydney Cricket Ground in India's historic 2-1 series win Down Under. Head coach Ravi Shastri had even declared the left-arm wrist-spinner their first-choice spinner for overseas Tests.
However, on the next tour Down Under, the likes of Washington Sundar were given a chance. Instead of being disheartened by constantly being deprived of chances, Kuldeep Yadav explained why team combination was an important factor in him not getting much game time.
"I did have to wait a lot but there is nothing one can do. If you look at the team combination, Ashwin and Jadeja were doing really well and I wasn't fitting in the team combination. But all I could do was work hard and I believe that whenever I get an opportunity I will give my best. What the team demands from you also plays a huge role. It's a team game and you've got to think about how the team can win and that is something I believe in," Kuldeep Yadav asserted.
Even in the home series against England, Axar Patel and Shahbaz Nadeem received the nod ahead of Kuldeep. The 26-year-old played just one game where he got to bowl only six overs. However, he once again tried to shed light on India's requirements at that stage. He added:
"Axar is a left-arm spinner and he was straight in place of an injured Jadeja as he is a like-for-like replacement. They also wanted to see who can provide the batting and so Sundar played. Yes I did perform will and picked wickets in the last Test that I had played, but again the team combination becomes important."
Kuldeep Yadav on his T20 World Cup chances
Kuldeep Yadav doesn't agree with talks that he isn't a good enough T20 bowler. Be it for Team India or for his IPL franchise, the 26-year-old hasn't received consistent chances.
However, his numbers show that he is an excellent bowler even in the shortest format. In just 21 games for the Men In Blue, Kuldeep has a staggering 39 wickets at an excellent average of 13.76.
The wrist-spinner is certain that if he is able to put up a good showing in Sri Lanka, he can make a comeback in time for India's T20 World Cup plans.
"100 percent I have a chance of making it to the T20 World Cup squad. My T20 record is like no one else. These are just talks that I cannot bowl in T20 cricket. But 40 odd wickets in 20 odd matches is something not many have achieved. If one gets opportunities only then he will perform consistently," Kuldeep Yadav concluded.