Sachin Tendulkar Refuses to Believe that Joe Root Has Decoded Kuldeep Yadav Totally
Jul 22, 2018 at 3:58 PM
Premier England batsman Joe Root might have figured out how to deal with chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav. However the former legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar feels that Kuldeep might still turn out to be quite a handful if the hosts prepare dry surfaces. Joe Root as bamboozled by Kuldeep during the T20I series and the opening ODI. However, he bounced back strongly and smashed back to back centuries in the 2nd and 3rd ODI’s to help England win the series after losing the opening ODI.
Tendulkar said that whatever he has seen in the television that Root read the ball from his hand pretty well. “Whatever I saw on television, Root picked Kuldeep from his hand and did that really well. Now Kuldeep’s wrist action is a complex one and once he lands the ball, I don’t think too many batsmen in world cricket have got the ability to tackle him off the pitch. Root could afford to play Kuldeep late because he was picking his wrist position early,” Tendulkar was quoted as saying by PTI during an exclusive interview today.
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All English batsmen haven’t picked Kuldeep well
Given the way Root has played in the ODI series and especially in the last two encounters, there have been questions raised on the Indian attack. It might be ominous signs for India as they approach the Test series. However, Tendulkar differed in his opinion
“I don’t think all the other England batsmen have played Kuldeep well. The kind of weather that has been in England with the sun baking the pitches, Kuldeep will be very much in action and so will be the other Indian spinners.
“If the pitches remain flat and dry like the ones during the limited-overs leg, India are in with a very good chance. But if it’s a green top, obviously, the England seamers will come into the play,” the legend opined. The Little Master did agree that the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the first three Tests along with Jasprit Bumrah for the opening game will definitely be a setback for the visiting team.
Tendulkar feels Bhuvi’s injury is a setback to India
“Bhuvi’s injury (stiff back) is a real setback for India. I for one was expecting a lot from him. He has over the years performed at a level that you expect a certain kind of performance from him. With his ability to swing the ball, he was going to be very critical to India’s scheme of things during the Test series.
“And let’s not forget those runs that Bhuvi scored in England during the last series (2014). He is a decent enough batsman, who could string those partnerships at the back end of the innings. But then, I believe that we still have a lot of quality in our pace department (Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur).
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Bumrah was missed more during the ODI series
Tendulkar felt that it was during the ODI series that Jasprit Bumrah was missed more. He is an exceptional limited overs bowler. It is his exceptional slower deliveries and Yorkers which make him an asset to any team he plays for. He is also the No 1 bowler in the ODI format and he was missed quite badly during the ODI series.
“Bumrah was certainly missed by India in the ODI series during those crucial death overs where he has been a champion bowler. He has started off well in Test cricket and this series is a wonderful opportunity for him. But he is expected to come back during the second Test. So I am hoping for the best,” Tendulkar said.
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Virat Kohli’s poor run won’t affect him this time around
Meanwhile, the former legend said that Virat Kohli’s poor run in England back in 2014 isn’t going to affect the team nor Virat. “Virat’s 2014 performance has got nothing to do with how he would perform in the upcoming series. And it’s not just about Virat’s performance. If you ask me if I am hopeful of a good show from Virat, my answer would be “Why only Virat? I am hopeful of a good show from the Indian team. It’s the team that needs to perform well,” Tendulkar concluded.