Life is easier bowling in tandem with Yuzvendra Chahal, admits Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep has revealed that he loves bowling in tandem with Chahal
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Kuldeep Yadav, one half of the deadly ‘Kulcha’ combo that ruled ODI cricket between 2018 and 2019, has revealed that he loves bowling in tandem with Chahal as it makes life easier for him. The wrist-spinner further labelled Cheteshwar Pujara as the toughest batsman to bowl to in the nets.
For 18 months, between the end of 2017 to mid 2019, the duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal ravaged batting line-ups around the world and established themselves as the most lethal bowling pair in limited-overs cricket, bamboozling opponents with their spin. However, it took only one bad game for the partnership to be broken as after a dismal outing in the World Cup against England, the duo were separated - Kuldeep was ousted from the ODI side - only for them to never play together again.
Bringing the ‘Kulcha’ combo, many feel, is the way forward for Indian cricket in limited-overs and Kuldeep had no hesitation in stating that he loved bowling alongside his mate Yuzvendra Chahal.
“Of course bowling in pairs makes life easier. Be it any format. When you bowl in partnerships it becomes very dangerous for any opponent. If Chahal is bowling from the other end and I am bowling from this end it creates a lot of impact on the other team as well. And of course I like it if Chahal is bowling from the other end,” Kuldeep told Cricket.com.
There are stories about how life as a batsman can be tough in the nets, for bowlers often are hostile during practice, but the 25-year-old has a problem of his own whilst bowling in the nets and it has come in the form of Cheteshwar Pujara. Kuldeep described the ever-patient Saurashtra man as the toughest batsman to bowl in the nets, while also taking the name of Rohit Sharma who, according to the left-arm wrist-spinner, is the toughest batsman to bowl to in the ODI format.
“Toughest batsman in the nets is Cheteshwar Pujara I guess. He plays very well against any offspinner, especially in Test cricket. And in ODI format it is Rohit Sharma. Of course there are plenty of youngsters as well. They aren’t afraid of going for the big shots. So everyone is good. But Pujara in Tests is really difficult to bowl to.”
A spinner who loves to give the ball a proper rip, Kuldeep’s choice when it came to his favourite mode of dismissal was unsurprising.
“Favourite mode of wicket is the stumping. In that you try to deceive the batsman in the air. That’s what I like the most. And probably clean bowled as well.”
