The Indian chinaman bowler, Kuldeep Yadav hasn’t been playing a lot of international matches, but that has not stopped time for working hard on his game and learn from the best in the business. The 26-year-old during the recent tour of Australia tried to get into the brains of Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin, two of the best spinners going around in the world.
Talking about his conversation with Nathan Lyon, during a chat with ESPNCricinfo, Kuldeep Yadav said, “I did speak quite a lot to Nathan Lyon. I asked him about his routines. He told me he maintains simple drills, what his skills are, how he runs the fingers over the ball while spinning, which is his strength. He asked me to follow my routines, find the spot where I should be pitching and enjoy my bowling with a smile.”
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He further added, “He (Ashwin) has given me quite a few ideas. He said at times I should quicken my rhythm, try bowling straighter, make slight tactical changes. He has a lot of knowledge not just about bowling but also game plans. During the Australia tour, we spoke about plans for the England series – if Joe Root is batting, which fielders should be close, what areas to bowl. When he did not play in Brisbane I had good discussions with him.”
Further, Kuldeep Yadav also shared about his IPL 2020 campaign, where he was included in the playing XI for just 5 matches and scalp just took 1 wicket. He said that he was in good rhythm during the tournament and would have liked more game time. Kuldeep added that back-to-back below-average seasons of the IPL have taught him a lot about life and cricket.
Describing the same, the chinaman said, “Personally I felt the 2020 IPL did not got well for me. I should have played more matches. I felt I was in pretty good rhythm, I was bowling well, but just that I did not get many overs. So, perhaps, if I got more opportunities then it would have been good. I am not saying that was the lowest, to be honest.”
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Kuldeep Yadav further added, “Even in 2019 I did not have a good IPL. Until you fail, you can’t handle the pressure. Now I feel I understand things better – I have seen failure in my life now, so even if I don’t perform, it will not be new. In cricket, you can’t perform at all times, but if you carry on doing the hard work, you create better chances to become successful.”
