Kuldeep finds a little of the old magic

Dubai: Kuldeep Yadav knows that he is expected to take wickets. A left-arm wrist-spinner isn’t the most common sight around and for a while, the novelty of being one got him wickets. Then, his variations made him virtually unplayable. But eventually such quirks don’t amount to much.

Once the batters get used to them, the bowler starts struggling. That happened to Kuldeep as well but he worked on his run-up and the pace of delivery and became even better. At the core of his improvement was the manner in which he attacks the batter. Here is a bowler who is no longer afraid of getting hit and that is where it begins.

After going wicketless in the first match against Bangladesh, Kuldeep would have felt some pressure to keep his place in the playing XI with the mystery spin option in Varun Chakravarthy still at India’s disposal. But in a spell that showed why he is so highly regarded by the team management, he showed that he is back to his best with a splendid 3-wicket haul against Pakistan on Sunday.

It was Kuldeep’s first match-defining performance after returning from a groin surgery. Given the amount of body, a spinner puts in his action, Kuldeep knew that good fitness allows him to find a better rhythm. If anything is missing, then the ball just doesn’t come out right.

“Injuries are such that sometimes it can take you six months to get your rhythm back,” he told reporters on Sunday. “I felt to be in good rhythm in the second of the two matches against England. Against Bangladesh, I felt good. The batters did not take many chances.

“Today, when I bowled my first over, I felt that I am in a better rhythm. I am in a comfortable position. I feel it will only get better. I will get to my best soon.”

Kuldeep believes there is still room to improve with his accuracy but he was good enough against Pakistan because of his positive mindset.

He flighted one to right-handed Salman Agha from over the wicket and beat him in the air. The catch looped to the offside. Shaheen Shah Afridi had no clue as a quick wrong-un trapped him in front. Then, he ended Naseem Shah’s late charge by beating him in flight and having him caught in the deep.

The wily spinner from Kanpur had bowled all three deliveries with geometric precision. The plan was simple -- bring the ball into the batters as that would be a sterner test on the slow pitch.

“On wickets like this, you tend to become the first choice in bowling the last 10 overs. Even the captain felt that it’s very difficult to hit spinners when you have variations. Luckily, it was good for me. The wicket was slow. I was trying to mix with the pace and wrong ‘uns or topspin,” he said. “If you get one or two wickets in the middle, the batsmen tend to block you. That’s what they did in the last 10 overs. Captain told me straightaway, ‘I want wickets. If you can get me wickets that will be good’.”

Kuldeep got three. It’s another of India’s great squad strengths over many other teams in the tournament that they have spinners who can not only do the job in the middle overs, but across different bowling phases.

While undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Kuldeep wasn’t even confident of playing the Champions Trophy. He was unfit when India had to endure the hurt of Test losses at home against New Zealand and in Australia. He must have been itching to bowl, but he had to wait. It was frustrating but one can now argue, it has been worth it.

“When you play big games, you want to put out your A game. Playing Pakistan with the rivalry we have, pressure from the fans, lots of expectations. I enjoy it. I try to give my best in important games. I want to keep learning,” he said.