Virat Kohli believes Kuldeep Yadav will have vital role to play in England
Virat Kohli believes ‘lethal’ left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav would have a pivotal role to play during the rest of his side's tour of England. Yadav produced a man-of-the-match display as he finished with 5/24 in India's emphatic eight-wicket win over England in the first T20I at Old Trafford.
India started their England tour in style with a massive 8-wicket victory over the hosts, courtesy to an impressive performance from chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, who disrupted the England batting line-up and ended up with his career-best figures with a five-for. And skipper Kohli has been of the opinion that the Man-of-the-match of the game would play a vital role in the remaining tour.
England looked strong at 94/1 but could only post 159/8 eventually with Yadav's googlies at one point giving him three wickets in four balls on his way to his best figures in T20Is. In reply, KL Rahul's unbeaten 101 from 54 balls then guided India to a comfortable victory with 10 balls to spare at Old Trafford. Yadav's performance was also a reminder that despite their improvement in limited-overs cricket, England remained vulnerable against spin.
"He's going to be effective on any pitches we play on. When it turns, he's going to be even more lethal. He's very difficult to pick. I hope he can keep the batsmen guessing. Looking at how convincing we were in all three skill-sets gives me great please as captain, especially some of the younger guys stepping up and doing the job," Virat Kohli said at the post-match presentation as quoted by TOI.
With the United Kingdom enjoying a sustained spell of hot weather, Yadav also revealed that he felt comfortable at the Old Trafford.
"It felt like home conditions. The wicket was very dry but when I bowled my first over I felt like there was going to be a bit of turn so I stuck to one line and length. I bowled my wrong 'uns in the perfect areas. It's my first tour and things are going quite well,” Yadav said.
The only England player to really trouble India was wicket-keeper Jos Buttler as he made a 46-ball 69 before he also succumbed to the mastery of Yadav's googly. England captain Eoin Morgan admitted his players would have to find a way to counter the danger posed by Yadav during the remainder of the English summer.
"Kuldeep is a very good bowler. And he will continue to be a threat. Maybe we can be a bit better. It's something we'll assess. He took three wickets in four balls today and deceived us. It wasn't a case of chipping up in the air. He bowled well," Morgan said.
"The more time you spend at the crease the better you see the ball. I think like it's any challenge. If you are facing it at 90mph bowling it's difficult to replicate it in practice. And the same with a guy who spins it both ways. You have a clear plan and stick to it," he further added.
Kohli also commended KL Rahul on his innings, which saw mixed finesse blended with power hitting, as he made his second consecutive century in the shortest format.
"He's someone who has come a long way - he batted so clean, so crisp in the IPL and he has carried it forward," added the India skipper. "We want guys like him to step up, so other guys can play with more freedom. He can bat long as well. He's very hungry, has great technique, and it's a great sign for Indian cricket."
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