"Worries me a little" - Sanjay Manjrekar urges Indian spinner to learn from Adil Rashid after IND vs ENG 2025 ODI series

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has urged Kuldeep Yadav to learn to vary his pace from veteran England spinner Adil Rashid instead of relying on the flatter deliveries. The left-arm wrist spinner looked in better rhythm after coming in for the injured Varun Chakravarthy in the third ODI against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday (February 12).

Kuldeep Yadav finished with figures of 1-38 off eight overs, where he dismissed Tom Banton with a well-disguised googly. The spinner bowled in tandem with Axar Patel in the middle overs to dismantle England's 357-run-chase attempt, as the hosts won by 142 runs. He also played the first ODI in Nagpur, with his figures reading 1-53 off 9.4 overs.

Sanjay Manjrekar noted how Kuldeep Yadav had increased his pace to match the demands of the team.

"Kuldeep Yadav worries me a little, as in the speed with which he bowls at. There was so much focus and criticism as to how slow he is. But the criticism was of the ball coming slow off the pitch, not about in the air. That is where he has made a compromise, and you understand why he had to get quick," Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo after the third ODI.

England's frontline spinner Adil Rashid finished as the leading wicket-taker (seven) of the three-match ODI series, largely due to his brilliant four-wicket haul in the third ODI. The leg-spinner dismissed Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Hardik Pandya to finish with figures of 4-64.

Manjrekar continued:

"In comparison, I thought Adil Rashid had a great series because he was bowling to a quality Indian batting line-up. The wickets in this match, he has gone through the defence of good players. If you look at Adil Rashid's speed along with the variations, it has oscillated from the mid 70s to late 80s, and even 90 kmph at times."

"Kuldeep Yadav, on the other hand, has just remained in the 80s, and more in the high 80s. So, maybe Kuldeep could take a leaf out of Adil Rashid's book," he concluded.

Kuldeep Yadav played in the Ranji Trophy ahead of the England series. Playing for Uttar Pradesh, he finished with figures of 3-124 in the drawn contest against Madhya Pradesh in Indore.

"His real greatness is the deception" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Kuldeep Yadav

Right from the T20I series, veteran Adil Rashid had been testing the Indian batters with his masterful pace variations. He managed to get the better of the opposition with his ability to flight the ball.

In the same interview, Sanjay Manjrekar further spoke about Kuldeep Yadav increasing the pace of his bowling. He said:

"It's almost like if he had to play for India, he had to bowl quicker. But what's happening now is that only bowling quick and flat. His real greatness is the deception and the turn. The quicker you bowl, the less you are going to achieve that, so you become more pitch dependent."

Kuldeep Yadav is one of the five spinners in the Indian squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.