Kuldeep Yadav Didn’t Bowl Badly In The 2nd ODI: Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar believes Kuldeep Yadav didn’t bowl badly in the second ODI against England, highlighting how the chinaman left-arm spinner was bowling wicket-taking deliveries.

Kuldeep Yadav and Krunal Pandya were taken to the cleaners by England batsmen on Friday in the 2nd ODI. The Indian spin duo conceded 156 runs in their 16 overs which is one of the maximums by a left-arm wrist spin duo, with the visitors comfortably chasing down the stiff old target of 337 in just 43.3 overs.

Sanjay Manjrekar: Kuldeep Yadav Was Bowling His Wicket Taking Deliveries But The Ball Wasn’t Turning Off The Pitch According To His Liking

Ben Stokes (99 off 52 balls) and Jonny Bairstow (124 off 112 balls) were the wreckers-in-chief as England leveled the three-match series 1-1 after losing the first ODI by 66 runs.

Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar hailed the visitors’ power-hitting and said: “Had the spinners bowled in the afternoon, they would have got a little more (from the surface).

“Especially Kuldeep Yadav, who bowled slower today, his speed was more his natural speed. I liked the line he bowled today. I don’t think he bowled badly, but he was found wanting purely because of the kind of power hitting.”

The former India batsman turned commentator added that despite going for plenty of runs, Kuldeep Yadav was bowling his wicket-taking deliveries.

“Kuldeep Yadav was bowling his wicket-taking deliveries, tossing the ball outside the off-stump, but he was getting hit for sixes. The ball wasn’t turning off the pitch as much as Kuldeep Yadav would have liked. I would like to see him bowl that wrong-un to the right-hander. Bowling second is a big disadvantage for the spinners because there is nothing in the pitch left anymore,” Sanjay Manjrekar added.

Kuldeep Yadav has had a tough last few years in international cricket. His figures in the ongoing ODI series read 0-152 in 19 overs.

He was preferred over spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar in the first ODI against England but produced regrettable figures of 0/68 in nine overs while other bowlers excelled. The chinaman spinner has only played 4-5 matches across formats for India over the last 13 months. He wasn’t even a regular in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 campaign.

Sanjay Manjrekar: Krunal Pandya Is Not A 10 Over Bowler In 50 Over ODIs

Sanjay Manjrekar believes India might have to rethink their team composition, given its weakness in the bowling department. The former batsman pointed out how Krunal Pandya is not a 10-over bowler in ODI cricket.

“Krunal Pandya is not your ten over bowler in 50-over format. But it’s no surprise he has been included because he can bat well. So India will have to rethink their overall team composition. If they want guys who can bat as well, then they have got to bat with a little more intent knowing that they have depth. So maybe now, when you have a similar situation, 330 will not be the target they will be looking to set against England, especially when they have weakness in their bowling.” Sanjay Manjrekar said.

The likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, T Natarajan, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Washington Sundar didn’t play any of the 2 ODIs and any of them may feature in the next series-deciding ODI at the expense of struggling out of form Kuldeep Yadav or an inexperienced Krunal Pandya. Shreyas Iyer has already been ruled out.

With the series tied at 1-1, the all-important decider will be played at the same venue on Sunday. England will be keen to end the tour on a high after losing the Test and T20I series.