CHENNAI: If Yuzvendra Chahal, who had put up a match-day story on his Instagram, did not have a sore right shoulder, Kuldeep Yadav would not have made the XI in the second ODI against Sri Lanka on Thursday. But after all kinds of bad luck the latter has had over the year and a half, the tables have turned. Or at least it seems so.
Destiny would have it, Kuldeep made it to the XI for the ODI in Kolkata. However, the luck part of the story ends there. On the field, he had to make things happen. And do it consistently. Even after doing so, he might not have a regular place in the XI, courtesy of team combinations.
As a result, every time Kuldeep walks onto the field, he has to make a mark. There is no room for having off days. Not with this Indian team and the pool of players they have. Kuldeep knows that too. He grabbed the chance with both hands in the first Test against Bangladesh and did the same against Sri Lanka on Thursday, picking up 3/51 in his ten overs.
It happened in his very first over. The tourists settled in after the early wicket and Kusal Mendis was building a partnership with Nuwanidu Fernando. Kuldeep delivered a googly that pitched around the middle stump, spun away and hit the back pad of Mendis. Just like that his first scalp of the day. The second one was bigger. Centurion from the previous game, Dasun Shanaka tried to sweep a delivery and moved far across only to lose his leg-stump to Kuldeep. The third was a googly again, which Charith Asalanka drove back to Kuldeep who completed a simple catch. A crucial performance that helped India restrict Sri Lanka to 215 on a pitch that was difficult to bat on.
As India scrapped their way to a four-wicket win with 6.4 overs left — KL Rahul top-scored for them with an unbeaten 64 — to seal the ODI series, Kuldeep's show with the ball holds even more significance. However, it is not just about the numbers and wickets. This 2.0 version of Kuldeep seems different. Not only is he confident of his skills, but also has shown immaculate control with the pace and line in which he has bowled. He doesn't look out of sorts when a batter goes after him, nor does he seem affected by the lack of consistency with his place in the playing XI. Every time he has walked out to bowl, he has stepped up and delivered, but more than anything else, he seems to be enjoying his time on the field.
"I am happy with my performance. For the last year, I have been trying to back my strength and not think much. Whenever I get my chance, I think about performing well. I am enjoying my bowling a lot. The team combination matters, so I just try to give my best whenever I get my chance," Kuldeep said, after the player of the match performance.
With Chahal not having as many good days as he used to and India having a weak No 8-11, Kuldeep coming back to the fore in white-ball cricket augurs well for India, especially with a home World Cup ahead. The 28-year-old has shown what he brings to the table every time he has gotten a chance. Now, it is up to the team management to get the best out of him.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka 215 all out in 39.4 ovs (Fernando 50, Mendis 34; Kuldeep 3/51, Siraj 3/30) lost to India 219/6 in 43.2 ovs (Rahul 64 not out, Kumara 2/64, Karunaratne 2/51).