India’s mystery chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav believes playing Test cricket after a long gap is challenging. The southpaw spinner was part of India’s playing XI in the second Test match at Lord’s. However, he could not turn heads as the conditions were not suited to spinners.
Prior to his Test selection, Kuldeep Yadav had done well in the limited overs series. Consequently, he was looking to the Test series with all the excitement. However, it is well known the England conditions are not conducive to spinners.
Kuldeep Yadav wants to keep learning in Test cricket.
“You have to change your mindset when playing red ball. You need to be patient. For me, it was very challenging to use the red ball after a gap because I was quite used to white-ball cricket and then I was selected to the Test team,” he said as quoted by Times of India.
In fact, the team management also got their selection wrong. They played Kuldeep in the Lord’s Test which was a paradise for fast bowlers. However, he was dropped from the squad after the third Test match win.
It is cognizance of the fact that he would have been handier in the spinning conditions of Southampton. However, he went wicketless in the second Test match.
Yadav added one needs to be more consistent in the red ball version.
“In ODIs and T20s you tend to try a lot of variations but with the red ball you need to focus on your line and length.”
The chinaman spinner revealed he had a talk with head coach Ravi Shastri and MSK Prasad before the Test selection for the final two Test matches. It was more pivotal for him to play for India A than warm benches in England.
Yadav is playing for India A.
“I spoke to MSK (Prasad) sir and Ravi (Shastri) sir (as I left England). There the conditions were such that only one spinner was needed. Here (playing the four-day game against Australia ‘A’) there were some chances for me because sitting out of the team does not really help .”
Thus, it was imperative for the spinner to get going. Subsequently, he played for India A against Australia A. Yadav scalped four wickets in the ongoing first four-day match.
“So in that perspective, these two games (against Australia ‘A’) are very important. I can build my red-ball experience. If I get into the rhythm now, then I will be in a better place against the West Indies when they come here,” said the spinner.
Kuldeep Yadav is still learning in the longest format. He has done well in the white ball format and would like to take the same confidence while playing in the five-day version.