'A good Ranji season will do him a world of good' - Salman Butt offers solution for Kuldeep Yadav to regain form

The left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav made his debut for India in 2017 and immediately made headlines owing to his exemplary skillset and mysterious bowling action. However, since the 2019 World Cup, there has been a downfall in Kuldeep’s cricket career. He has taken only 12 wickets at an average of 58.41 in 12 ODIs since the World Cup compared to 23.96 in 51 games before the tournament. 

The wrist-spinner is no longer the first-choice player for the team across all the formats. Yadav has been completely sidelined from all the formats of the team as he has failed to capitalize on the chances provided to him. In addition, the 26-year-old hardly got a game in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Kolkata Knight Riders and thus has to warm the bench for a larger part of the year. 

Meanwhile, former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt carried a detailed analysis on what went wrong for him and how he should proceed further to bring his cricket career back on track. In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Salman asserted that Kuldeep’s line and length have been affected due to playing a lot of shorter formats of the game.

I believe left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav is short on confidence: Salman Butt

The veteran advised the spinner to feature in the longest format frequently to get his basics right and bring back his lost form. Since India prefers Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja as the two spinners ahead of Kuldeep  Yadav, Butt believes that the 26-year-old should play Ranji cricket to bring back his confidence. 

“At times, lesser appearances in the longer format haunt you. When you keep playing the shorter formats continuously, your line and length tend to get affected because you’re always thinking of getting through your overs as soon as possible,” Butt said on his Youtube channel.

“The longer format teaches you skill and control. [I] haven’t seen much of them in the Tests in the past. Ashwin and other spinners are usually preferred. I believe left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav is short on confidence. He can get the confidence, with which he used to bowl, back by playing the longest format. A good Ranji season will do him a world of good. Quality does not go anywhere, it is all about form,” Butt concluded.

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