'Kuldeep Yadav has worked a lot on his bowling' - Hanuma Vihari praises spinner after latter's match-winning spell in Barbados

India recorded a five-wicket win over the West Indies in the opening ODI at Bridgetown on Thursday with the spinners leading the charge. Both the left-arm spinners – Kuldeep Yadav (4/6 and the man-of-the-match) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/37) – put up impressive performances to ensure that India were left chasing only 115 for victory. The visitors surpassed this target in 22.5 overs with opener Ishan Kishan scoring 52 off 46 balls laced with seven boundaries and a six. 

Speaking about Yadav’s performance, JioCinema expert Hanuma Vihari, said: “He has worked a lot on his bowling. When he began playing international cricket, initially, he was a lot slower through the air. He didn’t have that zip. He has worked on his bowling with the bowling coach and it has helped him a lot. You can see the result with his action in white ball cricket. As Abhinav (Mukund) mentioned, in IPL we have seen him succeeding in the last couple of years because he has got that pace in his bowling which comes down to his bowling run-up in which he has done a good job.” 

Vihari felt Yadav’s form augurs well for India in the run-up to the World Cup. “Kuldeep Yadav being in form is a big advantage for Team India going into the World Cup. As Abhinav mentioned, for foreign batters, especially the left-hand batters, it will be a huge task facing him.” 

So how can batsmen overcome the challenges that Yadav poses? Another expert Abhinav Mukund explained: “It is the googly that you need to read first. And, then you need to ensure you get your pads out of the way. You need to be very decisive in your footwork and you need to play him down the ground. Once you start picking him, things get much easier. I think West Indies have been quite poor against spin.”