5th Test: Kuldeep Yadav spins a deadly web on England as India dictate terms in Dharamsala

Was it the googly to Ollie Pope that left him hopelessly stranded a few metres down the pitch? Was it the confluence of flight and drift that invited a drive from Zak Crawley only to turn back sharply and hit leg stump? Or was it the classic two-card trick that bamboozled Ben Stokes?

Take your pick because Kuldeep Yadav produced an exhibition of left-arm wrist spin on Thursday. It was a display that simply took your breath away and left England searching for answers – they were shot out for 218 in 57.4 overs -- after winning the toss and batting on a pitch that Stokes had described as a “belter” on the eve of the fifth Test.

The description of the surface wasn’t inaccurate, India sauntering to 135/1 at a run rate of 4.5. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the lone Indian wicket to fall but not before he became only the second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to surpass the 700-run tally in a series.

This isn’t the first sublime spell that Kuldeep has delivered over the past few weeks, but it was his first five-wicket haul of the series – his spell of 15-1-72-5 was only interrupted by the lunch interval. The reward was richly deserved for a bowler who has had to bide his time in R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja's shadow. To think that Kuldeep – he took a four-wicket haul on debut against Australia at this venue in 2017 – may not have played here if India had opted for three seamers seems astounding now. But it was perhaps contemplated going by Rohit Sharma's pre-match media interaction.

The first hour of play on Thursday morning did suggest that India may be a seamer short; there’s always lateral movement in this part of the world at this time of the year. The cold conditions even as the stadium basked in mild sunshine – a relief after the rain forecast earlier in the week – were ripe for Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj to exploit. They did too, repeatedly beating the outside edges of Crawley and Ben Duckett.

That England did not lose a wicket till 10.58AM was largely down to good fortune, a prerequisite perhaps for batters in such conditions against high-quality swing bowling. Among the many plays and misses was a peach by Bumrah in the seventh over that was perhaps too good to nick. The ball started on leg stump and swung away a touch, completely squaring up Crawley who was shaping to play on the leg side.

Also Read: India vs England 5th Test Day 1 Highlights

With India only playing two seamers though, they had to turn to spin soon. Ashwin, who was felicitated before play on the occasion of his 100th Test, was given first crack, but it was Kuldeep who weaved magic with his wide repertoire. Off the last ball of his opening over, he had the left-handed Duckett falling prey to a tossed-up delivery. Where Duckett erred is in looking to play a big shot on the leg side, getting a leading edge that Shubman Gill turned and ran back around 20 yards from short cover to hold onto.

Pope was Kuldeep’s next victim off what turned out to be the last ball before lunch. Never mind the match-turning 196 in the first Test in Hyderabad, Pope is a fidgety starter who looks all at sea against spin early on. Dhruv Jurel, just into his third Test, seemed to gauge Pope’s nervy footwork. "Badhega aage (he will step down)," Jurel was heard telling the spinner on the stump mic. And next ball, Kuldeep produced a wrong ‘un that promptly caught Pope in no man’s land for Jurel to complete an easy stumping.

For a brief period, Crawley, aided by his long reach and fairly decisive footwork, was proving to be the thorn in India’s flesh. Even when Bumrah and Siraj kept beating his bat with the new ball, the opener had seldom missed an opportunity to plonk his front foot forward and play flowing drives for boundaries. That Rohit Sharma didn’t challenge the umpire’s decision when a thin inside edge by Crawley (on 61) off Kuldeep was caught by Sarfaraz Khan at short leg immediately after lunch could have proved costly on another day.

Not with Kuldeep in this rhythm though. In the 38th over, a ripper that entailed generous loop, deadly drift and prodigious spin ensured Crawley wouldn’t convert his fourth half-century of the series into a three-figure score.

Soon enough, a familiar pattern of England’s batters falling in a heap against spin played out as Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Stokes fell in three successive overs. Both Bairstow and Stokes were done in by Kuldeep’s googlies, the former nicking behind and the England captain getting caught plumb in front. That Kuldeep had produced a sharp-turning leg break off the previous ball seemed to entrap Stokes, just as Root succumbed to a straighter delivery by Jadeja after playing and missing a ball that spun. Kuldeep’s wickets were a clear indication that England’s batters simply aren’t picking him off the hand.

Ashwin couldn’t be kept away from the action either. While his first spell of six overs didn’t yield a breakthrough, he ran through the lower order to end with four wickets.

That Ashwin, on his special day, allowed Kuldeep to grab the ball as a souvenir aptly underlined the latter’s contribution. It was perhaps also symbolic of the senior spinner having to soon pass on the baton, a responsibility that Kuldeep seems ready for.