'Kuldeep Yadav should take a leaf out of Adil Rashid's book' - Sanjay Manjrekar on spinner's pace variations.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has advised Kuldeep Yadav to work on his pace variations by learning lessons from England’s veteran spinner Adil Rashid. Manjrekar believes that while Kuldeep has adapted and improved to the team’s requirements by increasing his speed, he has become overly dependent on flatter deliveries, compromising his biggest strengths—deception and turn.  

Kuldeep Yadav reappeared to India’s playing XI for the third ODI against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, replacing the injured Varun Chakravarthy. The left-arm wrist spinner delivered an improved performance, finishing with figures of 1-38 in eight overs, including the dismissal of Tom Banton with a well-disguised and perfect googly. Alongside Axar Patel, he played an extremely important role in demolishing England’s chase of 357, helping India secure a dominant 142-run victory. He had also featured in the series opener in Nagpur, returning figures of 1-53 in 9.4 overs.  

Manjrekar believed that Kuldeep has consciously increased his pace over time due to widespread criticism of his earlier, slower deliveries. However, he thinks this adjustment has made Kuldeep more dependent on the pitch for the betterment and a steady game.  

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"Kuldeep Yadav worries me a little with the speed at which he bowls. There was a lot of criticism about how slow he was, but the concern was about the ball coming slow off the pitch, not through the air. To counter that, he has compromised, and understandably so, to fit into the team’s demands," Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo.  

"It’s almost like he had to bowl quicker to stay in the team. But now, he is only bowling quick and flat. His real strength lies in deception and turn. The faster you bowl, the less you achieve that, making you more dependent on the pitch," he added.  

Manjrekar suggested and advised that Kuldeep should take inspiration from Adil Rashid, who was England’s standout spinner in the series, finishing the series as the highest wicket-taker with a four-wicket haul in the final ODI. Rashid’s success stemmed and stood from his masterful pace variations, which varied from the mid-70s to the late 80s and even touched 90 kmph at times.  

"In comparison, Adil Rashid had a great series against a quality Indian batting line-up. His wickets came by going through the defence of top players. If you look at his speeds, they range widely, unlike Kuldeep, who mostly stays in the high 80s. Maybe he could take a leaf out of Rashid’s book," Manjrekar concluded.  

Kuldeep Yadav is one of five spinners selected in India’s squad for the upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy, where his performance will be closely examined.