"He said you can bowl bouncers to Shreyas Iyer but I don't have any such problem" - Aakash Chopra lauds Kuldeep Yadav's knock
Aakash Chopra picked Kuldeep Yadav as his Player of the Day for his all-round performance on the second day of the first Test between India and Bangladesh.
Yadav first played a 40-run knock in Chattogram on Thursday, December 15, as India posted a 404-run total in their first innings. He followed that with a spell of 4/33 as Shakib Al Hasan and Co. were reduced to 133/8 in their first essay.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra was all praise for Yadav's performance on Day 2 of the Chattogram Test, elaborating:
"There were chances for India to stumble slightly because Axar had already gotten out, and Kuldeep Yadav had to join Ashwin. The way he (Yadav) batted, he said you can bowl bouncers to Shreyas Iyer but I don't have any such problem. He scored 40 runs and has already picked up four wickets. So the Player of the Day is Kuldeep Yadav."
The former Indian opener was particularly appreciative of the Uttar Pradesh player's stubborn fight with the bat, explaining:
"To play 114 balls, it is not a surface where you feel a wicket might fall off every ball, it is not that difficult to bat on, but it is not that straightforward as well. You need to apply yourself. You need to forget the previous delivery, that the ball turned and you got beaten, but you are not going to play a bad shot."
Chopra reckons Yadav's knock was a game-changing performance, saying:
"When a bouncer comes, sometimes close to the body, you play it away softly, but you don't accept defeat. So the 40 runs he scored, I thought that was incredible, in fact they were game-changing."
Yadav strung together a 92-run eighth-wicket partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin. The latter scored 58 runs, a knock studded with two fours and as many sixes.
"This was not where it ended" - Aakash Chopra on Kuldeep Yadav's spell after his effort with the bat
Chopra added that Kuldeep made a telling contribution with the ball as well, observing:
"This was not where it ended. In bowling, you expect that Ashwin will roll his arm over and pick up wickets but he hasn't picked up even one wicket till now. Kuldeep Yadav has picked up four wickets."
Something exciting about seeing a spinner who looks like taking a wicket with every ball he bowls. Kuldeep Yadav is in excellent rhythm
The reputed commentator concluded by stating that the batters found it difficult against the left-arm wrist-spinner as he delivered the ball at a good pace while also pitching them in the right spots.