Kuldeep Yadav Trying To Be Something He Is Not: Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has not been too satisfied with Kuldeep Yadav’s performance in the first ODI against England in Pune. After a meteoric rise since 2017, Kuldeep Yadav has experienced a nosedive and has lost his way in the national team. Sanjay Manjrekar observed some worrying signs for the leg-spinner and admitted to having lost his touch.

Kuldeep Yadav played as one of the two frontline spinners; however, he was the most expensive bowler against England in Pune. The 26-year old delivered nine overs and conceded 68 runs without a wicket – his economy rate read as 7.56. England’s batsmen milked runs off him comfortably, smacking five fours and four sixes. Though the men in blue recorded a 66-run victory, Yadav’s form was a black spot.

Sanjay Manjrekar pointed out that Kuldeep Yadav realizes that he needs to do something to regain his spot back in the line-up. The cricketer-turned-commentator observed that Kuldeep bowled a lot quicker than he did initially as there were deliveries that mostly touched 80 km/hr, while one also went beyond 100. Thus, Sanjay said that by doing these, he is trying to be something he is not, affecting his accuracy for bad.

“See, I think it’s finally got to him where he realises what he needs to do, so he’s basically conforming to the needs of modern-day cricket. People wanted him to bowl quicker, and we saw Kuldeep Yadav bowl very quickly today. He mostly bowled in the mid-80s (km/h). There was just one ball that was 70 km/h. Earlier he used to bowl many deliveries in the 70 km/h range. He bowled a 109 km/h delivery as well. He’s bowling that flipper, which on a couple of occasions, went as high full-tosses. So he’s trying to change, he’s trying to become something he’s not. And in the process, this was the first time I have seen Kuldeep Yadav lose his accuracy,” Sanjay Manjrekar told ESPN Cricinfo.

The change of line and the pace and the loss of accuracy tells me there are a few things going wrong with Kuldeep Yadav: Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar further said that the Kanpur-born bowler was inaccurate and kept bowling short. The 55-year old identified that Kuldeep mostly bowled middle and leg stump line, which is a line for a bowler, who is in defensive mode and worried about being hit. Thus, the change in line and loss of accuracy are worrying signs and is a signal of plenty going wrong for the bowler.

“He started off by bowling almost rank short deliveries, and I have never seen him not being accurate. And one final point about him, and very critical as well – there was just one ball that he bowled outside the off-stump for the right-hander. He focussed on just bowling middle and leg stump line which is the line of a bowler who is slightly defensive, worried about getting hit for fours and sixes. Whether that was the brief, I don’t know, but the change of line and the pace and the loss of accuracy tells me there are a few things going wrong with Kuldeep Yadav,” he added.

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