Chennai: Kuldeep Yadav hasn’t played a Test since October last year. He hasn’t directly spoken about the five-match Test series against England that follows soon after the IPL, but his preparation could be quietly building towards it.
He may be turning it on in the IPL with Delhi Capitals, but Kuldeep has his eyes firmly set on the red ball. Ahead of the game against Chennai Super Kings, the talented DC chinaman — who has picked up five wickets in two outings so far this season with an outstanding economy of 5.25 — said that he is constantly thinking about getting better.
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“I believe a wrist spinner, whether you bowl right or left arm, you have to adapt and learn the skill of spinning the ball, and that’s what I have done over the years. Even now, I’m looking at how I can improve, especially because my target is to play with the red ball as well. So you have to develop that skill, to spin the ball, whether it’s the wrong one or the traditional leg-spin,” said Kuldeep on Friday.
While Kuldeep is known to deceive batters by varying the pace of his deliveries, he has shifted his focus on hitting the right length. “In all formats, I’m focusing on the length. Length is very important. You mature after playing so many games and understand what your strength is and obviously, spinning the ball is my strength. I’m just keeping things very simple and focusing on length,” said the 30-year-old.
Kuldeep has played a pivotal role in India’s white-ball success in the past and was a key contributor to their recent Champions Trophy triumph. For him, staying relevant across formats is essential.
“Especially in this format, you see a lot of chinaman spinners in other teams as well. It has become a trend now, teams are playing with wrist spinners. You have to practise every day, keep working, read the batters and what they are doing, especially on match days. That’s what I’m doing: sticking to my strengths and keeping things very simple,” he said.
Asked if he plans his deliveries like the new white-ball spin sensation Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep was quick to point out that his style is more flexible. “Varun has been brilliant for the past one year and obviously he has been doing really well over the years. But no, not with me, I’m very flexible. I don’t have any sequence. I just read the batter, what he thinks of me and what is the best delivery to bowl to him,” Kuldeep said.
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