Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav celebrates with his teammates [Image Credit: BCCI]

Indian wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav had admitted that he felt like he was making his debut in the second Test against England given the fact that he has not played much cricket in the past year or so.

Before this match, Kuldeep Yadav had played a total of six Test matches, the last of which came against Australia in January 2019 where he notched up a five-wicket haul.

Since then, Kuldeep has been consigned to the bench. He was a part of the squad that won in Australia last month but he did not get to play a single match despite the duo id Ashwin and Jadeja being unavailable for the series decider in Brisbane.

Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav. Image Credits: Twitter

Kuldeep once again found himself warming the bench in the first Test against England as India went in with the likes of Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Nadeem. The chinaman finally got an opportunity in the second Test and even though he bowled just six overs in the first innings, he came good in the second as he claimed the wickets of Ben Foakes and Moeen Ali.

Speaking to Star Sports after the game, Kuldeep revealed that he has had a lot of discussions with veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin during the time when he was out of the playing 11.

Read More  Babar Azam goes to war with Pakistan Cricket Board!! Skips the Army Camp in Kakul

”It felt like a debut for me, because I’ve not played for so long. Bowling in a match is very different, no matter how much you bowl at the nets. I always speak to Ash bhai a lot, even during the Australia tour. He was telling me a lot about where to bowl to which batsmen, what shots they like to play,” Kuldeep Yadav said in the post-match presentation.

 

‘We’ve been in this situation before’- Kuldeep Yadav

LKuldeep Yadav, India, Akshar Patel
Akshar Patel. Credits: BCCI

When asked if there was panic in the dressing room following a rare defeat on home soil in the first Test, Kuldeep said that the team is used to such situations. He gave the example of the 2017 and 2020/21 series against Australia where Team India lost the first Test but came back to win both rubbers by a 2-1 margin.

This time too, the Virat Kohli-led unit made an astounding comeback in the four-match series as they inflicted a crushing 317-run defeat on the English contingent.

We’ve been in this situation before [losing the first Test of a series]. Even in my debut series we had lost the first Test against Australia in Pune. Then we lost in Adelaide as well, and you saw the morale of the team even after that defeat. We are always prepared to come back and perform in the next match. Even Rishabh’s keeping was brilliant today. Everyone contributed.” he added.

Read More  Rishabh Pant blames this player after Delhi Capitals' loss vs Rajasthan Royals

Also Read: India vs England 2021: Moeen Ali Rested While Jonny Bairstow And Mark Wood Return As England Name A 17-Men Squad For The 3rd Test