Kuldeep Yadav is experiencing a confidence surge as a
result of his Player-of-the-Series performance at the Asia Cup. The Indian team
management is doing everything it can to “preserve” its lone
wristspinner in the squad ahead of the World Cup by resting him for the first
two ODIs and not “expose” him much against Australia.
“Kuldeep is a rhythm bowler, we all know
that,” India captain Rohit Sharma said. “But we thought of a lot of
things and took this call. His bowling is going well, like Ajit [Agarkar] said,
we had to give players a chance, especially those who played just one game at
the Asia Cup and are in the World Cup squad.
“We have been looking at Kuldeep for the last
one, one and a half years, this is why we don’t want to expose him a lot. He is
coming back for the last match. There are a lot of reasons. This is the best
decision for us, to have him sit out for two games and play the third. We also
have two practice matches [before the World Cup opener], so for the bowling
rhythm, he will be back in it.”
In five games, Kuldeep took nine wickets, returning an
average of 11.44 and an economy of 3.61. He started with a five-for against
Pakistan in India’s record 228-run victory, and then backed that up with four
wickets in India’s valiant defence of a modest 213 against Sri Lanka. All of
these wickets occurred over the course of two games. Coaches and analysts alike
praised Kuldeep for his control and diversity.
Agarkar, who recently coworked with Kuldeep at Delhi
Capitals in the IPL, discussed the qualities that make Kuldeep an essential
component of India’s World Cup strategy. He emphasised how changing a bowler’s
thinking with a little “faith and confidence” might be extremely
beneficial.
“I spent a couple of years with him, he is a guy
who has a special skillset,” Agarkar said. “Every player needs to be
shown faith, given a bit of confidence, which the team management has done and
it is showing on the field. In various conditions and against varied
opposition, he is one of the trump cards for the team. I’m happy and excited
about what he is doing. Clearly, most teams coming up against him find it a
challenge, and where he is at, all of us are excited at what lies ahead.”