5 reasons why Kuldeep Yadav can be the face of Indian spin bowling across formats

Kuldeep Yadav has had a year to remember. In March, he made his Test debut and earlier this month, he made his ODI and T20I debuts as well. A year back, he was still sharpening his weapons in domestic cricket and now, he is considered to be as the next face of the Indian team’s spin attack.

Let’s roll back a few years. It was in 2012 when Kuldeep had first hogged the limelight. Playing in the U-19 World Cup, he finished as the joint highest wicket-taker of the tournament (which included a hat-trick against Scotland), as India went on to lift the trophy.

Good performances for the Kolkata Riders had earned Kuldeep a national call-up in 2014 but he did not get a chance in the first team. When he did finally get his chance against Australia three years later, he showed the world what he can do.

Here, we list five reasons why he could be the next face of Indian spin bowling.

---

#5 A spinner who can bat

In case you didn’t know, Kuldeep can come in very handy with the bat. He is known for being a pretty good batsman down the order, one that can chip in with valuable contributions when needed.

Yes, he is yet to be tested at the top most level but his first class record speaks for itself. In 23 first class matches, Kuldeep has scored 730 runs at an average of 28.07. He has even recorded a century and five half-centuries.

Like Ashwin and Jadeja, this is one facet of his game that gives him an advantage over the other spinners in the mix. He might not be as good as Ashwin and Jadeja with the bat but he is definitely someone you can rely on to bat a few overs and score 30-40 odd runs.

#4 Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja struggling in limited overs cricket

Both Ashwin and Jadeja struggled throughout the ICC Champions Trophy in England

Who are the faces of the Indian spin attack at the moment? Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, right? Right. To be the next face, Kuldeep has to dismantle these two from their positions. Ashwin and Jadeja, though, seem to be making his job much easier.

Both Ashwin and Jadeja struggled throughout the ICC Champions Trophy in England (not that the pitches weren’t too bad for spin bowling). In the subsequent West Indies tour as well, they failed to trouble the batsmen whatsoever while Kuldeep stole the show.

Ashwin, in particular, has been struggling for quite some time now. Since the 2015 World Cup, his performance graph has been going down, which could be attributed to the fact that he has played very few ODIs. And if he does not pull up his socks in the near future, Kuldeep might just take his place.

#3 Kuldeep doesn’t rely on the pitch to take wickets

"The wicket does not matter to me"

What makes Kuldeep different from the rest of the spinners is the fact that he does not rely on the wicket. He can pretty much get turn on any wicket in the world, which makes him a brilliant proposition for his team. And he has given plenty of evidence of this ability of his.

On the first day of the Test match against Australia (Kuldeep’s debut match), when David Warner and Steve Smith were toying with Ashwin and Jadeja, Kuldeep came on, got a vicious amount of turn and quickly claimed three wickets. It was a first-day pitch which was not assisting the spinners much and yet Kuldeep had the Aussie batsmen in their hunches.

"The wicket does not matter to me. When there is no assistance (from the wicket) I have to bowl with more patience and keep trying to turn the ball," Kuldeep had noted before the start of this year’s IPL. How many spinners in the world can lay a similar claim?

#2 The Chinaman factor

Having a wrist spinner in your team is a huge plus for any team

Having a wrist spinner in your team is a huge plus for any team, and when you have a left-handed one, it is probably the biggest blessing for the team. For one, you don’t see too many left-arm leg spinners, or Chinaman bowlers as they are called, which obviously makes it tougher for the batsman.

Apart from this very obvious and distinct edge that most Chinaman bowlers bring to the table, Kuldeep can bowl the regular leg-spinner, the googly and the top-spinner with absolutely no change in action. This makes it even more difficult for the batsman to read the delivery.

And, it isn’t just that he is leaving the opposition batsmen leaden-footed. The 22-year-old is bringing back the phrase “imagine being done in by a Chinaman” back in vogue, one that has been absent for far too long in international cricket.

#1 Kuldeep is a match-winner

Kuldeep doesn’t concentrate on damage control

Over the course of his domestic career, Kuldeep has developed a temperament where being hit for a four or a six doesn’t frazzle him. Instead, he goes back to his bowling mark, ready to bowl another delivery that is slower through the air, tempting the batsman to go for it again.

One such example could be found in the Dharamsala Test. Glenn Maxwell had just lofted him over mid-on for a boundary. Kuldeep’s next ball was a brilliantly flighted googly that had the Aussie hopping and dancing.

That’s his general response after being hit for a big one. Unlike most spinners, Kuldeep doesn’t concentrate on damage control. Instead, he looks to get rid of the source. This is what makes him a match-winner, one that will take wickets when you need them most.