He's been a match-winner – Sairaj Bahutule on Kuldeep Yadav’s finesse

Kuldeep Yadav has been an instrumental part of India’s Test side over the years. With 80 wickets from 19 Tests at an economy rate of 3.56, Kuldeep Yadav’s presence continues to propel India’s spin department. However, in the first Test against Sri Lanka, he could only register one wicket, mainly owing to unparalleled dominance from Manav Suthar in both the innings.

However, India’s spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule opened up on how valuable Kuldeep Yadav has been to the side.

He explained in the minutest of details that it isn’t always about how good a bowler is but how various prerequisites can also play a significant part in shaping up the fate of a turner.

Talking about Kuldeep Yadav, Sairaj Bahutule said, “He's been bowling extremely well. It's just the situations which arose in Galle, he had to play a different role. So that's all he had to adapt to, and he tried his best to adapt to that role and try to execute as much as possible.”

He further added, “We had to see how the trajectory or the speeds work in every session. And as the days went by and as there was a demand for different type of speeds and different types of trajectories, he definitely was, you know, making an effort to bowl that. And I think he was playing his role. And again, just to mention that each bowler has his own strengths. So he was operating as a wrist spinner in a way where obviously the wicket got slower and slower each day. But I'm sure he was bowling the way he normally bowls.”

Bahtule continued, “For me, I think he's been a fabulous bowler over the years. Yes, the wickets sometimes are slow, and sometimes the ball operates differently for wrist spinners on certain surfaces. But for me, he's always been a match-winner, and he definitely is in the scheme of things. But we will again decide on the combination once.”

Explaining the various forms of spin and how they work out, Bahutule said, “All the spinners are, to be very honest, finger spinners, it becomes easier. For a leg spinner, it is that much harder because of the softness of the ball; the seam just goes down, and the wrist is used.”

He concluded by stating, “Finger spinners, you can manipulate the fingers and bowl with the speeds you want to bowl. So, it is definitely a tough proposition for a spinner. But that doesn't—I don't think, you know, one game decides on the way he's been performing and the way he's approaching to his cricket. He's been a match-winner for India.”