If the ball isn't turning or drifting, then a spinner is not a spinner: Kuldeep Yadav

A very important quality of a wrist-spinner is to not be affected when they’re hit for runs. This particular trade demands the bowler to flight the ball, give it air, invite the batsmen to hit and that’s when their chances of getting a wicket magnify further. 23-year-old Kuldeep Yadav might be one from this young breed of cricketers who are expected to take wickets and at the same time maintain a good economy.

In his young career, Kuldeep has played a lot of T20 cricket and doesn’t change his plan or course of attack. He had a dream game in the 1st T20I against England which was his first on the English soil. Kuldeep in his four overs spent 24 runs and dismissed five batters. His dismissals were all prominent batsmen who were expected to take the home team to a huge total or at least a par score.

Don’t feel the pressure

With his performance, Yadav became the first left-arm wrist spinner to pick a five-wicket haul in T20Is, the third Indian bowler to do so in the format and bagged the Man of the Match. He said that his mindset of not being bogged down when hit for a six helps and attributed it to his coach who made him immune to such an onslaught.

“When I started playing cricket, my coach Kapil Pandey would make me bowl such that the batsmen hit me for sixes. I used to practice getting hit for sixes to understand how it happens in a real game. I don’t feel the pressure. That is something I have learnt very early on, and today I am not scared of getting hit,” he said.

You’re a spinner only if you spin the ball

The youngster emphasized on the need for a spinner to turn or drift the ball, that’s how he thinks a slow bowler can have the tag of being a spinner and have the best opportunity to pick wickets.

“If you want to take wickets, you need to turn the ball. If the ball isn’t turning or drifting, then a spinner is not a spinner,” he said. “If a spinner takes 4-5 wickets in a T20 game, then your team gets the advantage. Whatever I have learnt in childhood, I am trying to follow here,” he stated.

It was the third over of his spell and the 14th of the inning that turned things around. Kuldeep picked three wickets in a space of four balls dismissing Eoin Morgan, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow.

“England’s start with the bat was quite good. In six or seven overs, they had around 65 runs. Just when I came to bowl, I checked the wicket and it a bit dry.

“When I started, I varied my pace. I thought if I bowled a bit slower, maybe there will be chances. Then when I came to bowl in the second over, I kept the pace down, and increased the flight and maintained it. I maintained my length too.

“The plan was to stretch the batsmen, so that they don’t get any easy deliveries. I didn’t want to give them any pace, because it could’ve made things easy for them. I was varying my pace,’ the chinaman said.

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