Sri Lanka Vs India 2017: Kuldeep Yadav Has A Great Chance Of Playing Third Test: Virat Kohli

India captain Virat Kohli has heaped lavish praise on Kuldeep Yadav and said that the left-arm spinner has a ‘great chance’ of playing the upcoming third Test against Sri Lanka, scheduled to be played at Pallekele from August 12.

With Ravindra Jadeja suspended for the last Test of the series, Axar Patel has been called in as replacement but Kuldeep, who has been in the squad since the start of the series, is likely to get a place in the playing eleven. The chinaman spinner has got limited chances in his short international career so far but has already impressed one and all.

The 22-year old made his Test debut earlier this year against Australia in Dharamsala and made an instant impact by taking 4 for 68, dismissing the likes of David Warner and Glenn Maxwell. He was not included in the team for the Champions Trophy but was a part of the team that toured West Indies last month for a limited-overs series. He impressed once again and finished the five-match ODI series as its highest wicket-taker. He also impressed during the two-day warm-up game against Sri Lanka Board President’s XI, picking up four wickets.

Sri Lanka Vs India 2017: Kuldeep Yadav Has A Great Chance Of Playing Third Test: Virat Kohli

And Kohli believes confidence is the youngster’s USP. Speaking at the pre-match conference, he said:“See all these… not that we are old.. but all these very young guys coming in, there is one thing striking about them is their confidence. The way they compete against any opposition or in any condition is something that really stands out as far as I am concerned as captain. These guys give you confidence.”

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“A guy like Kuldeep, when you hand him the ball, he is willing to bowl in any situation, willing to bowl with attacking fields, willing to throw the ball up towards the batsmen. He believes in his own ability and believes in deceiving the batsmen with the skill that he has. I think that’s his biggest quality. He has proven himself in Dharamsala which was not such a spin friendly wicket and it was quite flat in the first 2-3 days of the Test match. He turned the game around for us so he has that ability, which is very rare to find. A chinaman bowler is always something which is an x-factor in a team. I would say his confidence is his USP. He has a great chance of playing tomorrow and I wish him all the best,” he added.

 

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