India’s left-arm leg-spinner, Kuldeep yadav, finds it challenging to bowl to Australia’s Steve Smith and South Africa’s AB de Villiers. Yadav, who went through a longer than expected lean patch in 2019, said both the batsmen have unique tactics to face him.
“Smith plays me mostly off the back foot. He plays the ball very late as well, so it becomes challenging to bowl to him,” Kuldeep Yadav said. “In ODIs, AB de Villiers is a good player. He has a unique style. Now that he’s retired, it’s a good thing! But other than him, I haven’t found any other batsman who I am sacred will hit me for a lot of runs.”
Talking about the downfall on his game graph last year, the spinner admitted that he is yet to brush up on a few skills and also affected by not getting to be a part of the team consistently.
“I prepared really well before leaving for the World Cup 2019 because I wanted to overcome my failure in IPL that year. Even though I didn’t pick up many wickets, I think I bowled well at the World Cup,” he further added.
“After that I have been in and out of the team. If you are playing regularly, your confidence is high. If not, you are always under pressure to perform in the chances you get and your mind stays cluttered. I probably was at fault with my skills as well.”
Yadav said he shares a special bond with his fellow bowler Yuzvendra Chahal, who he looks up to, both on and off the field.
“He has always taken care of me, like an elder brother. Even now, after playing so many matches together, even off the field, he gives me advice on cricket as well as off cricket. He supports me, and this bond is visible on the field as well. We’ve never had competition between us, irrespective of which of us gets picked to play. In the last year or so, only one of us has gotten to play at a time,” Kuldeep said.
Kuldeep Yadav was last seen in action in February in an ODI-series against New Zealand.
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