"Will be an amazing experience"- Kuldeep Yadav eager to play at Motera Stadium
Kuldeep Yadav has revealed he was mesmerized by the scenic beauty of the newly-renovated Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad. The venue, which is the biggest cricket stadium in the world, will host the last two Tests of the ongoing India-England series which is currently level at 1-1.
The Indian team landed in Gujarat recently and appeared to be impressed by the beautiful stadium's new look. Moreover, given that the third Test will be a day-night encounter, the stadium is expected to look even more stunning under the lights.
Kuldeep Yadav took to Twitter to express his admiration for the stadium. He tweeted:
India's Kuldeep Yadav conundrum
There was a huge uproar among fans when Kuldeep Yadav was ignored for the first India vs England Test in Chennai. However, his inclusion in the second Test didn't make a great deal of difference to the hosts despite their comfortable victory.
Kuldeep Yadav bowled a little over 2 overs in the game and picked up just two wickets. Whether he was underutilized by the team or outperformed by Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel has become a topic of debate.
While many in the cricket fraternity believe Kuldeep Yadav hasn't been given consistent chances, others feel his wicket-taking ability has reduced over the past two years.
Coming into this series, Kuldeep Yadav had last played a Test in Sydney back in 2019, and had picked up his maiden five-wicket haul. By keeping him on the sidelines for an extended period, fans and analysts believe the Indian team management has severely dented his confidence.
With the pink ball likely to swing a lot more than the red one, Team India may go in with three fast bowlers and two spinners for the third Test. With Ashwin having dished out a sensational all-round performance and Axar picking up a five-wicket haul on debut, it looks likely that Kuldeep Yadav will make way for a third seamer.
It will be interesting to see how the 26-year-old is handled from here on, especially since left-arm wrist-spin is a pretty rare and useful trait to have. Kuldeep Yadav will not want to be remembered as someone who didn't live up to the heights that his talent promised.