Kuldeep Yadav prioritizes Test cricket over other formats

22-year-old Chinaman bowler, Kuldeep Yadav has taken great strides in limited-overs cricket in the past couple of months. The left arm unorthodox spinner has shown immense promise and has the prospect of evolving into one of the finest spinners in the world. Although the youngster has set the bar really high in the limited format, he believes the ultimate challenge is to bowl long spells consistently in Tests.

The Kanpur-born bowler had to traverse a tough road since his Test debut against Australia in Dharamsala last March. It has not always been smooth sailing for him, having been hammered on a couple of occasions in the just-concluded series against the Aussies. However, Test cricket remains his priority, a format which first brought him into the fray. Yadav has built on the positives as he shouldered India’s spin attack alongside another youngster Yuzvendra Chahal in back-to-back ODI series in the absence of Ashwin and Jadeja.

Speaking about the turnaround in his career, Kuldeep said, “The last six months have been great and I have got plenty of chances to play for India.”

“When you are starting off, you want to play each and every game for India irrespective of the format. But in the longer run, I want to win as many matches as possible for my country… I can’t rest on laurels.”

Jadeja, Ashwin slowly falling off the radar

The veteran spin duo of Ashwin and Jadeja was dropped for a third time from the squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand. The decision was taken by the national selectors in a bid to give the younger crop of spinners a chance.

Team India has already started with their preparation for the 2019 World Cup in right earnest. And now with Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Yuzvendra Chahal having done fairly well in the past three series, it will be difficult to bring back both Ashwin and Jadeja for New Zealand one-dayers.