Kuldeep Yadav set to join an elite list spearheaded by Ravi Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah

India’s only wrist spinner in the 5-match Test series against England, Kuldeep Yadav is all set to join an elite list of homegrown bowlers spearheaded by Ravi Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah. The Chinaman is just 4 wickets away from becoming the latest Indian bowler to have racked up 50 wickets across all formats of the game.

Kuldeep Yadav has registered 12 wickets so far in the Test series from the 3 matches he has played at an average of 22.58. He has featured in all but the 1st Test in Hyderabad where the hosts endured a dramatic loss by just 28 runs. But since the 2nd Test in Vizag, Kuldeep has played a key role with the ball and has been very effective with the bat as well.

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Despite impressive performances, Kuldeep remains highly underrated

Without a doubt, Kuldeep, despite putting up impressive performances whenever given the chance, remains a highly underrated bowler in world cricket. His improved line length is a result of the hard work he has put in to gain full fitness. Former Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun had recently said that the Chinaman has improved drastically since the time he was taunted by Ravi Shastri to remove the excess fat on his body.

“Fitness certainly is a factor to bowl in Tests with that kind of energy. We always knew Kuldeep can deliver. Now look at him, quicker arm speed, that bustle through the crease, near-perfect hand position at release, and it’s all going in the direction it ought to go – towards the batsman at the other end.”

“With better fitness, his basics (of bowling action) taken care of, he is now actively channeling all his energy at the other end, trying to beat the man there.” – Arun had told Indian Express. 

In this particular Test series against England, Kuldeep Yadav came in late but came in strongly. While his bowling has been very good, his exploits with the bat have not gone unnoticed. The 28-run inning he played alongside Dhruv Jurel in the 4th Test’s 2nd innings had proved to be a game changer and overall he has scored 67 runs in the 3 Tests.

His best bowling performance in the series had come in the 4th Test only when he registered figures of 4/22 during England’s 2nd innings with the bat. Despite all this, it is a violation that Kuldeep is still not being given credit for India’s victory by 5 wickets that helped in claiming their 17th straight home red-ball series.

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Kuldeep to become the 4th Indian to register 50 or more wickets in every format

Kuldeep Yadav has to make sure he registers another 4 wickets across innings in the Dharamshala Test. That will put him below some great names like Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. All 4 of them have 50+ wickets in every format with Ashwin leading the chart with 507 in Tests, 156 in ODIs, and 72 in T20Is.

Jadeja has 292 in Tests, 220 in ODIs, and 53 in T20Is whereas Bumrah has scalped 157 in Tests, 149 in ODIs, and 74 in T20Is. The swing king Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has 63 in Tests, 141 in ODIs, and 90 in the shortest format. Kuldeep Yadav in the meantime 46 in Test cricket, 168 in One day, and 59 in T20Is.

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