In India’s five-wicket win over West Indies in the ODI series opener at Kensington Oval, left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav shone brightly with figures of 4/6 in just three overs and play a huge rule in bundling out visitors for a paltry 115, which the visitors chased down in 22.5 overs.
Now, batter Hanuma Vihari believes Kuldeep’s work on improving his bowling is showing results.
“He has worked a lot on his bowling. When he began playing international cricket, initially, he was a lot slower through the air. He didn’t have that zip. He has worked on his bowling with the bowling coach and it has helped him a lot.”
“You can see the result with his action in white ball cricket. As Abhinav (Mukund) mentioned, in IPL we have seen him succeeding in the last couple of years because he has got that pace in his bowling which comes down to his bowling run-up in which he has done a good job,” Vihari was quoted as saying by JioCinema.
It was also the sixth time Kuldeep took a four-wicket haul in ODIs outside Asia. Vihari felt Kuldeep’s form augurs well for India in the run-up to the ODI World Cup, to be held at home from October 5 to November 19.
“Kuldeep Yadav being in form is a big advantage for Team India going into the World Cup. As Abhinav mentioned, for foreign batters, especially the left-hand batters, it will be a huge task facing him,” he added.
Mukund went on to explain how batters can try to bat better against Kuldeep. “It is the googly that you need to read first. And, then you need to ensure you get your pads out of the way.”
“You need to be very decisive in your footwork and you need to play him down the ground. Once you start picking him, things get much easier. I think West Indies have been quite poor against spin.”
India now have a 1-0 lead in the three-game series and will face West Indies in the second ODI at the same venue on Sunday.
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