Image Credit- AFP
Growing up, Kuldeep Yadav aspired to be Wasim Akram.
When his first coach, Kapil Pandey, suggested that he give up quick bowling and
attempt to become a left-arm Shane Warne, it completely changed his life.
In Dharamsala on October 22, Kuldeep momentarily
realised his first cricketing fantasy when he struck Daryl Mitchell’s right
bicep with a cross-seam thunderbolt that struck at 113.7 kph, roughly 33 kph
faster than his last ball. Mitchell was attempting an idiotic reverse-sweep.
into first, it appeared as though the batter had given Kuldeep a sneak peek
into his plans, but if you rewatch the clip and stop it right before Kuldeep is
released, you won’t see any indication at all that Mitchell was about to turn
around. It appears that Kuldeep was always planning to bowl this speedy guy.
In this India-New Zealand match, Kuldeep was bowling
in his sixth over at a crucial juncture. India lacked a sixth bowler to replace
Hardik Pandya in the event that one of their five front-line players was having
a rough day in the opening World Cup encounter. By then, Kuldeep appeared to be
having a really unpleasant day. He had already conceded 48 runs in his first
five overs, all without a wicket, and had already been smashed for four sixes
by Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra combined.
Kuldeep’s sixth over began at the 33rd of the innings,
with New Zealand at 167 for 2, needing to reach a total of 292. Kuldeep was
crucial in keeping them to this level of restriction, taking two wickets and
giving up only 25 runs in his final five overs before they were all out for
273.
It was a performance that demonstrated Kuldeep’s
fortitude and his capacity for quick thinking under duress. Throughout the
second part of his allotted ten overs, Kuldeep did all in his power to prevent
the hitters from New Zealand from getting a direct hit at him. This was clearly
indicated by the cross-seamer to Mitchell, a sign in blazing neon.
Kuldeep’s performance against New Zealand, where he
went at 7.3, has somehow come to represent his greatest traits in a World Cup
where he hasn’t gone at more than five an over in any of his other eight games.
At that point, New Zealand had won four of their previous five games. They had
presented what appeared to be a strategy to contain the explosive Indian
attack, and part of that strategy appeared to be focusing on Kuldeep. He kept
them from sticking around for too long, even though they were right on top of
him.
It is possible that Kuldeep, the hero of the 2019
World Cup, did not have access to all of these resources after England
dismantled him at Edgbaston, which cost him his spot as a sure starter.
Kuldeep’s skipper, Rohit Sharma, has observed how much the cricketer has
changed in the meantime.
“Kuldeep obviously missed out on a few games in
between, but since he’s made a comeback, you see a different sort of Kuldeep in
terms of his attitude, wants to front the situation, front the challenge, take
the responsibility upon him[self],” he said on the eve of India’s
semi-final against New Zealand. “All those kind of things I can clearly
see with him.”
India will play New Zealand once more on Wednesday at
the Wankhede Stadium, which is currently the least accommodating location for
spinners in the championship. This World Cup, no surface has seen worse average
(70.09) or economy rate (5.99) from spinners. The bounce is true, the
boundaries are small, especially down the ground, and hitters may frequently
hit through the line with little repercussions. As usual, New Zealand will be
planning many strategies to pursue India’s spinners.
Kuldeep is eager for another intense battle and will
be prepared for anything they throw at him after losing out on playing in the
World Cup semi-final four years ago.