Kuldeep, jo apne left-arm wrist spin ke liye jane jate hain, ne bhi apne career mein yeh mehsoos kiya hai. 2018 mein England ke khilaf unka performance khaas nahi raha tha, jab unhone Trent Bridge mein 6/25 ka shandaar spell diya tha ODI mein, lekin Test cricket mein unhe aksar bench par bethna pada, kyunki Ravichandran Ashwin aur Ravindra Jadeja jaise senior spinners team mein shamil the. Yeh ek tarah ka frustration tha, kyunki Kuldeep ke paas woh x-factor hai jo batsmen ko pareshan kar sakta hai, lekin mauke kam mile.
Lekin ab baat kuch badal rahi hai. Ravichandran Ashwin ke international cricket se retirement ke baad, Indian team mein ek bada void hai, khaas kar Test cricket mein. Ashwin, jinhone 537 Test wickets liye aur 11 Man of the Series awards jeete, ek aisa spinner the jo har condition mein match badal sakte the. Unke jaane ke baad, Kuldeep Yadav ke liye darwaze khul rahe hain. Former bowling coach Bharat Arun ne bhi Kuldeep ka samarthan kiya hai, yeh kehte hue ki English conditions mein bhi Kuldeep apna jadoo dikha sakte hain. Arun ka yeh bharosa bekarar nahi hai. Kuldeep ne apne career mein dikha diya hai ki woh white-ball cricket mein kitne dangerous ho sakte hain. 2023 Asia Cup mein unke 5/25 ke figures against Pakistan aur 2024 T20 World Cup mein unki consistent bowling iska saboot hai. Unki wrist spin, jo drift aur sharp turn ke sath aati hai, batsmen ke liye ek paheli ban jati hai.
Bharat Arun ne 2021 mein bhi Kuldeep ke baare mein kaha tha, “Kuldeep is working hard enough, he has been brilliant. When he gets a chance, he will show what he can do.” Yeh baat unhone England ke khilaf Test series se pehle kahi thi, aur ab jab Ashwin team mein nahi hain, Kuldeep ke paas woh chance hai jiska woh intezar kar rahe the. England ke pitches, khaas kar August mein, jab mausam garam aur sookha hota hai, spinners ke liye thodi help offer karte hain. The Oval aur Old Trafford jaise grounds par spin bowling kaafi effective ho sakti hai. Kuldeep ka unique style, jisme woh googly aur sharp spin ka istemaal karta hai, unhe ek match-winner bana sakta hai. Yaad kijiye 2018 ka Trent Bridge ODI, jahan Kuldeep ne apne spin ke jadoo se England ke batsmen ko nachaya tha. Virat Kohli ne us spell ko “one of the best ODI spells” kaha tha.
Kuldeep ka Test record bhi kuch kam nahi hai. 13 Tests mein 56 wickets aur ek strike rate jo 37 balls per wicket ke aaspaas hai, yeh batata hai ki woh red-ball cricket mein bhi utne hi dangerous ho sakte hain. 2017 mein Australia ke khilaf Dharamsala mein apne Test debut par unhone 4 wickets liye the, aur 2019 mein Sydney mein 5/99 ka shandaar spell diya tha. Yeh performances dikhati hain ki jab mauka milta hai, Kuldeep uska pura fayda uthate hain. Ab, jab India England ke khilaf 5-match Test series ke liye taiyari kar raha hai, experts aur former selectors bhi maan rahe hain ki Kuldeep ko ignore karna ek badi galti hogi. Unki ability, jo batsmen ko deceive karti hai, unhe Washington Sundar jaise spinners se alag karti hai, jo stability toh dete hain lekin match badalne ka dum kam rakhte hain.
Lekin yahan ek chinta bhi hai. Kuldeep ka Test career ab tak consistent nahi raha hai, kyunki unhe regular mauke nahi mile. Ashwin aur Jadeja ke rehne tak, unhe aksar team ke bahar rehna pada. Ab bhi, team management ka faisla unke liye ek challenge ho sakta hai. Agar India ek hi spinner ke sath jati hai, toh Ravindra Jadeja ko preference mil sakti hai, kyunki woh batting mein bhi yogdaan dete hain. Kuldeep ke liye yeh ek aur hurdle hai, jahan unhe apni jagah pakki karni hogi. England ke challenging conditions mein, jahan seamers aksar dominate karte hain, Kuldeep ko apne aap ko ek baar phir se prove karna hoga. Kya woh is mauke ko bhuna payenge, yeh dekhna baki hai.
