Kolkata: After some consistent domestic performances, Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav was in the squad for the solitary Test against Bangladesh, but unfortunately, he didn’t find a place in the playing eleven.
And when finally he was rewarded with a Test cap in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy decider at Dharamsala, Kuldeep did not let this opportunity go waste. Coming in to bowl when Australia had a stronghold over the match, the Uttar Pradesh lad claimed four wickets to surprise the visitors with his audacious wrist spin and bundle them out for a meagre 300.
The Indians were already on the back foot even before the match as skipper Virat Kohli failed to recover from his shoulder injury and thus was ruled out giving Ajinkya Rahane a chance to showcase his leadership skills, which he did with aplomb at least on Day One. And Australia quite justly capitalised on India’s weakness and were off to a flier despite losing opener Matt Renshaw early.
But Yadav (4/68), who became India’s only chinaman bowler in Test cricket, was in no mood to let anyone spoil his long awaited Test debut. He totally came as a surprise package to the Aussie batters who misread and misjudged his tweaking ability and ended up falling prey to the debutant.
And yet, this is not the first time the youngster has surprised everyone with the ball. A part of IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, he doesn’t get a lot to play but whenever he does, he makes sure that it’s a memorable one. He shot out into glory in the 2014 edition of the defunct Champions League T20 as batsmen from top clubs across the world were totally bamboozled by this young, and rare talent.
Rare, because chinaman bowling is indeed a difficult art to master. The only other notable chinaman bowler in international cricket is 46-year old Brad Hogg, who plies his trade by playing for various teams in T20 leagues across the globe. Yadav proved his mettle with the ball in the 2016-17 edition of the Ranji Trophy as well.
After a thunderous debut against a top class batting unit in the form of Australia, Yadav has announced to the world that he is not a one who would sit back and enjoy the show but rather be an integral part of it. And, talents like him are no less than a blessing in disguise to Indian cricket, and also globally.
(With inputs from agencies)