"Boss, this puppy fat you have na has to be melted away" - Bharat Arun on how Ravi Shastri inspired Kuldeep Yadav's comeback
India's star spinner Kuldeep Yadav has enjoyed a terrific couple of years across formats and one of the main reasons for the same has been the changes he has brought to his bowling since the IPL 2022 season. Before that, Kuldeep often found himself warming the bench in the IPL as well as for India.
Former Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun recently recalled an episode when former head coach Ravi Shastri had an honest conversation with the left-arm wrist-spinner about the latter's fitness.
Speaking to the Indian Express, here's what Bharat Arun quoted Ravi Shastri as saying to Kuldeep Yadav:
"Boss, this puppy fat you have na has to be melted away... I can't think of a single reason with improved fitness that you won't become a world-class Test bowler."
Arun believes the leg injury in 2021 and the rehabilitation that followed gave Kuldeep Yadav ample time to reflect on his game, work on his fitness, and become a better bowler. He opined:
"It seems rather silly to say this but that injury, I think, gave him no option but to get fitter. He had to do all the hard rehab work, shed himself of that puppy fat, to continue his dream of playing cricket. And he has obviously worked a lot on his bowling – that energy through the crease is a standout feature now. It allows him to increase pace without sacrificing turn, loop, drift."
Kuldeep's quicker and flatter trajectory has arguably given batters less time to pick him from the wrist. Those who wait to read the spin off the pitch are often beaten for pace and that's where the left-arm wrist-spinner has made a difference compared to his old self.
Bharat Arun on Kuldeep Yadav's improved fitness and performances
Bharat Arun shed light on the technicalities in Kuldeep Yadav's bowling and how it has helped him dominate the batters when in the groove. Arun reckoned fitness played a massive role in Kuldeep's redemption, saying:
"Now look at him (Kuldeep), quicker arm-speed, that bustle through the crease, near-perfect hand position at release, and it’s all going in the direction it ought to go – towards the batsman at the other end. With better fitness, his basics (of bowling action) taken care of, he is now actively channeling all his energy at the other end, trying to beat the man there."
In three games in the ongoing Test series against England, Kuldeep Yadav has picked up 12 wickets at an average of 22.58. He has arguably justified his selection as the third spinner over all-rounder Axar Patel and has given the hosts the variety they needed in their bowling attack,