England Tests: Can Kuldeep Yadav be the X-factor in Indian attack?

For a spinner of Kuldeep Yadav’s calibre, just 13 Test appearances after nearly nine years of his Test debut in 2017 looks an anomaly. If the crafty left-arm wrist spinner’s tryst with injuries had been often a problem, the Indian team management’s reliance on the trusted duo of Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had also prolonged his wait between matches.

 Now with Ashwin no longer there, the 30-year-old is primed to provide the X-factor in the Indian attack as an younger team under Shubman Gill brace to start their campaign in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at the Leeds from 20 June (Friday). Kuldeep, who has played only one Test in England so far, takes heart from the grip and bounce on play in the ongoing intra-squad game and hopes things should stay that way at some of the Test venues.

 ‘’If wickets are like this, then it’s good for us,’’ the easygoing spinner said during a media interaction on Sunday. Acknowledging the contribution of Ashwin-Jadeja duo in his career, Kuldeep said: ‘’Both have helped me a lot ever since I made my debut. Now that Ash bhai is no longer available, I have been having a lot of chat with Jaddu bhai on how to bowl to certain batters and the right field placements for them.’’  

The first Test at Leeds in Headingley, a venue known to assist some seam movement, may see the tourists preferring to go in with the lone spinner in Jadeja – but the wickets in at least three of the remaining Tests in Birmingham, Lord’s, Old Trafford and The Oval may provide something in it for the spinners. While there will be an obvious temptation to opt for Washington Sundar as a replacement for Ashwin in view of his batting, experts feel Gautam Gambhir & Co should try to think out of the box and opt for Kuldeep as the main spinner as the England batters will find him difficult to pick.

 Speaking in a recent interview, Venkatapathy Raju – the left-arm orthodox spinner who had won many a matches for India under Mohammed Azharuddin’s captaincy said: ‘’When you compare options, someone like Washington Sundar hasn’t bowled much in red ball cricket lately and while Ravindra Jadeja can contain and even run through sides on helpful pitches, Kuldeep offers that X-factor.

 ‘’Like England has (Sohaib) Bashir, India should bank on Kuldeep. He should be leading the spin attack in this series and must believe that he can deliver big. For me, he should be in the XI for most, if not all Tests,’’ says Raju.

 He is not alone in this as Ashwin himself, one of the sharpest cricketing brains, said in an interview with sports website Revsportz: ‘’When batsmen come through, the best bowling attack will win you matches. If they don’t leave moisture on the pitch, then I think Kuldeep Yadav could be a certainty. And if there is moisture on the pitch, then Kuldeep should still be there.’’  

Farokh Engineer, the legendary Indian wicketkeeper who had been a resident of England for last five decades, shares the same opinion. ‘’Kuldeep is an extremely intelligent bowler and England batters have never been comfortable against wrist spin. I would always keep him in my playing XI,’’ the 87-year-old veteran said in an interview with National Herald.  

 Not many can argue the fact that in contemporary cricket, the classy Chinaman bowler is a rare breed and Kuldeep has come back as a changed bowler ever since his last tryst with a knee injury. He has 56 wickets from 13 Tests to show at an economy rate of 3.56 and is in the right stage of his career to exploit his potential to the full as the Test team looks to turn a new leaf.

 Replying to a media query, Kuldeep answered in zest that he has now taken the customary seat left vacant by Rohit Sharma in the team bus. ‘’I am sitting in his place only,’’ he chipped in, before adding: ‘’When such seniors are not there, you will miss them but the youngsters are really excited about the series. It’s going to be a challenging one for us.’’