Kuldeep Yadav hopes to do well in Sri Lanka

What’s the story?

As India prepare for the upcoming full-fledged series against Sri Lanka left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav is gearing up for his first tour to the island country with the national side. He is aware that there will be pressure to perform and promised that he will stick to the basics and hopefully, do well.

According to a report in India TV, the talented youngster said, “Pressure is always there in every series. There's nothing new that I have planned for the Sri Lanka tour. I just want to stick to the basics. Hopefully, I will do well. I performed well in the West Indies and I will try hard to repeat the same in Sri Lanka.”

In case you didn’t know…

After a strong domestic season, Kuldeep Yadav was called up to the national squad for the one-off Test match against Bangladesh. However, it wasn’t until the fourth and final Test match against Australia that he made his debut for India.

On the first day of the match itself, Kuldeep hogged the limelight with a terrific spell that saw him pick up three crucial wickets, including those of David Warner and Steve Smith. He finished with four wickets in the first innings and laid the groundwork for India’s win.

The heart of the matter

In the recently concluded ODI and T20I series against the West Indies, Kuldeep was up to his usual antics and kept up the good work. He made his debuts in both formats of the game and came out with flying colours.

Kuldeep finished as the highest wicket-taker in the five-match ODI series ahead of the likes of Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. His performances earned him plaudits from captain Virat Kohli as well. Now, with the Sri Lanka series coming up he hopes to do well and help his team.

What’s next?

The first Test match of the series will start at Galle on 26th July 2017 while the next two Tests will be played in Colombo and Kandy, respectively. After the commencement of the Test series, the ODI series will start, with the first match being played on 20th August 2017.

Author’s take

The inclusion of Kuldeep in the team has given an extra dimension to India’s spin attack. He has proved himself to be a match-winning bowler but Kohli will have to use him wisely. At 22, he still has his best years to come. If he can keep his feet grounded, Kuldeep can be a huge prospect in the near future.