The left-arm wrist spinner kuldeep yadav performance made his Test cricket comeback for the first time since December 2022 on Day 2 at Visakhapatnam with a display of deft variation, taking three wickets. It seems more than likely that Kuldeep Yadav was selected to bat first in the fourth over rather than Axar Patel or Ravichandran Ashwin. Notably, this was a calculated play that happened just two overs prior to lunch. Yadav had a better grip and a more steady bounce with an almost new ball that had a noticeable seam. Rohit Sharma saw his match against Yadav as a practice run, a sneak peek at England’s possible approach, provided few minutes before lunch.
Zak Crawley bowled the entire over with great control, save for one ball. The ball that caught attention was a powerful delivery that pitched full and grabbed a good edge just as the England opener moved forward to cover. After the game, Crawley, who hit the highest score of 76 in England’s opening innings, spoke about his observations and acknowledged the special difficulty presented by left-arm leg spin. He said, “It’s a little different, facing left-arm leg spin,” in describing the experience. He possesses the googly and the slider as well—all the variants that Ashwin, I assume, possesses as well. But he bowled effectively and it was a different perspective, so it was a fresh and interesting task.”
In light of Ravindra Jadeja’s injury and Axar Patel’s inability to contribute much in Hyderabad, Rohit Sharma’s choice to depend more heavily on Kuldeep Yadav was reasonable. Taking the field for the first time since December 2022, Yadav maintained his strong form from Chattogram, where he had taken eight wickets. For the most part, he delivered the ball with accuracy, but there were sporadic run leaks. On the other hand, Yadav’s economy rate of 4.17 looked quite good against an attacking English batting order. By contrast, Axar Patel’s economy was six, while Ravichandran Ashwin’s was 5.08. As the workhorse, Yadav bowled the most overs (17-1-71-3), which went well with Jasprit Bumrah‘s outstanding six-wicket effort.
Kuldeep Yadav’s spell was tantalizing, as demonstrated vividly in the 17 overs he bowled. His bowling displayed a wide variety of skill, with precise fly and dip. To keep England’s batters on their toes, Yadav skillfully varied his deliveries, even though a few of them ended up being inadvertent half-trackers. The way he deliberately mixed up his bowling was very clear when Ben Duckett was dismissed just after lunch.
Yadav, using a late dip to produce a flighted delivery, stopped Duckett from getting to the ball’s pitch, forcing the England opener to jab at it hesitantly. The ball began to spin fast and caught the shoulder edge, ballooning at silly point to Rajat Patidar. India needed this breakthrough since Crawley was threatening to gain the upper hand.
Yadav led by the astute captaincy of Rohit Sharma
The situation for Ben Foakes deteriorated as a result of his poorly executed delivery. He tried to play inside the line, but his off-stump was thrown off. However, India needed a bit of luck, which came when Rehan Ahmed failed to clear Shubman Gill at midwicket after attempting a rank long hop. This fortunate day coincided with the opposition being bowled out after Ravichandran Ashwin went wicketless for just the seventh time in an innings at home.
After being out of Test cricket for more than a year, it all turned out to be just the kind of day Kuldeep Yadav needed.
