India spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been out of the national team for quite some time now. Despite having tasted a fair share of success at the international level, he had faced a rough patch too. While the credit of former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni can’t be denied behind his success, former India spinner Venkatapathy Raju believed that he needs to figure out a way to get back to form by himself as Dhoni is not there behind the stumps as well.
“Sri Lanka tracks will be slow, there will be some bite, so it is good for him (Kuldeep) to make a comeback. With IPL and T20 World Cup tracks in UAE likely to be dry and spin-friendly, Kuldeep can be a match-winner,” 52-year-old former national selector Raju told PTI.
He continued: “But unfortunately, we all knew how captains had played a big role in Kuldeep growth. He has been always saying that he was very comfortable playing under (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni, but Dhoni is not going to be there for him till his career is over, so hopefully he has to come with a solution.”
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Notably, Kuldeep Yadav, who has 170 international wickets across 91 games, has not been featured in the now-suspended Indian Premier League as well where he plays for Kolata Knight Riders (KKR). And, the veteran said that he needs to bowl to his strengths as well.
“He (Kuldeep) is still a very fantastic bowler. He is very young, so (when) you already have experience of playing international cricket it is entirely up to him to concentrate and he has always been a wicket-taker, he has not been a defensive bowler,” he said.
However, Kuldeep Yadav has been named in the limited-overs squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka series and Raju said that the youngster should use the limited opportunities he will get there as well.
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“He should bowl the way he knows and you get limited opportunities and luckily for him, this (Sri Lanka) tour has come up, and there won’t be much pressure on him, he has to bowl the best he can because we all know he has got that variety,” explained Raju.
“He (Kuldeep) is a young guy (and) he is a match-winner. So, I think he should be more confident and then let his cricket do the talking. He has to work hard for it, cricket is not easy and he also knows that,” Raju again shared about Kuldeep Yadav. “You already have Ravindra Jadeja right, he has been playing brilliantly, Jadeja will be the first choice (as he is a) brilliant all-rounder the ideal for T20s.”
