My batting is good at the Test level, reckons a confident Kuldeep Yadav

Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal were the most entertaining and impressive bowlers in limited-overs scene since 2017 for the Indian team. The duo helped the Indian team regain their dominant position in ODI and T20I cricket after the disappointing loss in the Champions Trophy 2017 final.

Kuldeep and Chahal helped fill the void left by Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, whose dip in form led to them being dropped and the ‘KulCha’ of the Men in Blue reigned supreme with amazing performances in South Africa, England and Australia apart from performances at home. However, with the team management focusing on the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2020, both of them find themselves out of the contention for a place in XI.

Much of that has been attributed to lack of their batting skills and bringing in more all-rounders. Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh left-arm leg spinner will have a chance to make it into the Indian squad for the upcoming South Africa Test series. He was a part of the West Indies Test squad as well but didn’t get a game. The change in format will be a new challenge for the chinaman, who has played little first-class cricket in recent times.

My batting in Tests is better, says Kuldeep

“I’ve been working on my batting with (previous India batting coach) Sanjay Bangar. I feel my batting is good at the Test level. Playing red-ball cricket is difficult, especially when you are a regular in white-ball cricket. It was important for me to come here and bowl as many overs as possible. There is still plenty of work to do,” Kuldeep was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

Kuldeep has not played a T20I game since the match against New Zealand at Hamilton in early 2019. So far, he has picked 96 wickets in 53 ODI matches and 35 wickets in 18 T20Is. In 6 Tests, he has 24 wickets. Talking about his snub from white-ball cricket, he mentioned, “I did well; my stats are good. Maybe the selectors feel they need to give me a break from T20Is, and that some changes are required. I respect that, and I have no complaints. I see this as an opportunity to do well in Tests.”

Even his place in the Test side is not guaranteed thanks to presence of Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the mix. However, at home, the team management may look to go in with three spinners and Kuldeep knows this as well. “It’s challenging for the selectors to pick the right combination when three quality spinners are present in the squad. You need to be ready to grab your chance. Of course, there is pressure because you only get a few chances, and you have to make full use of them,” Kuldeep added.

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