"Kuldeep Yadav has really increased his chances of being a part of India's T20 World Cup squad" - Paras Mhambrey
India's bowling coach on the Sri Lankan tour, Paras Mhambrey, has been impressed with the way Kuldeep Yadav has bowled so far. The left-arm wrist-spinner looked to be getting closer to his best as he picked up a couple of wickets in the second T20I.
Although India lost the game, Kuldeep Yadav was impactful and could have easily got a couple more wickets had luck been on his side. The 26-year-old has been in and out of India's setup and was under a bit of pressure coming into this tour.
However, speaking to reporters, Mhambrey explained how Kuldeep Yadav has risen to the challenge and shown a willingness to improve and become more consistent as a bowler. He feels Kuldeep has a real chance of making it to India's T20 World Cup squad.
"He (Kuldeep Yadav) is a very talented and a thinking bowler. There is a lot of discussions that we have before the games. Seeing the videos, discussing the plans but the execution is for which he needs to be given credit. Yes, he has been in and out of the team. He knows he has to work hard to maintain his position and he is doing that and I am so happy to see the results. He has really increased his chances of being a part of the T20 World Cup squad," Mhambrey asserted.
Apart from Kuldeep Yadav, Mhambrey also spoke about Paddikal, Gaikwad's debut
Mhambrey also shed light on the debuts of youngsters like Devdutt Padikkal and Ruturaj Gaikwad. The duo got a go as a number of Indian batsmen were unavailable for selection after Krunal Pandya tested positive for COVID-19.
Although they couldn't make a defining contribution, Mhambrey feels the duo will only get better with experience.
"Whenever you make your debut for your country there are nerves and we know that. We try to give a free hand so that there is no pressure on them. But the situation was such that with the planning we knew that we had only 5-6 batsmen. Yes, they (Padikkal and Gaikwad) will be disappointed but every opportunity they get to represent the country they will learn," Mhambrey concluded.