‘What Have You Done With This Spinner?’: Ex-BCCI Selector Recalls Ravi Shastri’s Words On Kuldeep Yadav
New Delhi: Former BCCI selector Sunil Joshi revealed that he was the one who came forward to help Kuldeep Yadav when the Indian chinaman was dropped from the national team. Kuldeep has been on top form in recent times whether it for the national team or franchise cricket. In the recently-concluded West Indies ODIs, Kuldeep finished with seven wickets from three games and is one of the contenders to make the Asia Cup and World Cup squads.
Joshi, a former spinner himself, opened up on his efforts to make Kuldeep 2.0 more effective that he was two years back. “I was part of the selection committee when Kuldeep Yadav got dropped. Who came to the rescue?,” Joshi was quoted as saying to The Indian Express.
“None of the coaching staff, I was the one who got his delivery stride shorter, front arm better, arm speed better, got him to rip more revolutions on the ball,” he added. Kuldeep, who took 31 wickets in the last two IPL seasons, also scalped 28 wickets in 11 ODIs since the start of 2023.
“Suddenly, everybody is talking about Kuldeep Yadav. Ravi Shastri asked Sunil, what have you done with Kuldeep? I said, ‘Ravi bhai I have not done anything special. These are the simple things that a bowling coach should be doing’.
“If you look at Kuldeep 2.0, his front arm is nice toward the target, his bowling arm is towards the target, he is running towards the target. Shorter stride, there is a free follow through, he has got quicker through the air. You look at the way he is bowling now,” Joshi added.
With India definitely needing s finger spinner in the upcoming ODI World Cup, Kuldeep has certainly proved a point in front of the selectors ahead of the mega event and poses a great challenge to partner-in-crime Yuzvendra Chahal.
“I don’t think too much about taking wickets. I focus on the process – where to bowl and what lengths to be targeting. Process is more important than performance. Since my return from injury last year, I’ve been trying to consistently bowl the right lengths,” Kuldeep said after the first ODI against West Indies last week.
“Sometimes you get wickets, sometimes you don’t even when you bowl well, but length is very crucial especially for the spinners. When the opposition loses a few wickets, then I try my variations for wickets,” he added.
The 28-year-old, who has been in and out of the national time sometime back, is a regular in the Indian team at this moment. The wrist-spinner wants to focus on the controllables. “On a lot of occasions, the situation and due to the combination, I have to sit out.
“It’s pretty normal for me as I’ve been playing international cricket for close to six years. I keep myself relaxed when I’m not playing. When you’re playing, there’s pressure to perform well,” he had said.