Bangladesh vs India: During the first innings of the Chattogram Test, the India leg-spinner delivered his best figures of the season, 5 for 40. In the first innings of the present Test match of Bangladesh vs India in Chattogram, Kuldeep Yadav stood out as India’s top bowler.
On Day 2, he claimed four wickets, and on Day 3, on December 16, he added another to give himself a five-for. It turned out to be his career-best numbers in the format, and it was his only third five-wicket haul out of the 14 innings. Along with his outstanding bowling performance, Kuldeep also contributed a critical 40 runs off 114 balls in the first innings to assist India to break the 400-run threshold.
On the third day of the Chattogram Test, Kuldeep once again showed how the quicker pace of his deliveries is helping him thrive. The left-arm legspinner picked up his career-best figures of 5 for 40, which also happens to be the best figures by an Indian spinner in Bangladesh.
The 28-year-old leg-final spinner’s Test match was against England in Chennai in February 2021. Nevertheless, he has been present in the Indian team’s white-ball matches despite not being selected for the majority of the matches.
But when India decided to field three spinners and two pacers in the Chattogram Test, he was finally given the chance. Kuldeep Yadav admitted that he was “nervous” playing Test cricket after so long but he was able to get into his rhythm quite easily.
“I wasn’t thinking much about not having played for so long,” Kuldeep said after the third day’s play. “Yes, if you haven’t been playing any format at all and haven’t spent any time with the team, then of course it is different. But if you have been playing some format, it is not as much pressure. I didn’t feel that kind of pressure because I have been with the team regularly. It is two years on the paper, yes, but it didn’t feel like I was playing after two years.”
Bangladesh vs India: “I didn’t feel that kind of pressure because I have been with the team regularly”, Kuldeep Yadav
With wide arms, Kuldeep embraced the chance and outdid players like Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin by taking five wickets. He was making his 22-month hiatus from playing red-ball cricket internationally clear that he was feeling the pressure.
However, Kuldeep admitted that he had stopped thinking about it and had lost his desire to participate after nearly two years following Day 3’s conclusion.
Kuldeep also discussed the challenge of bowling in red-ball cricket. He said that the bowlers need a lot of control to find wickets as batters have a lot of time to wait for loose deliveries. Kuldeep also spoke about his batting, which helped India get past 400 in the first innings.
