The India vs England Test series brought several positives for the Rohit Sharma-led hosts. Despite top stars like Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami missing from action, the Indian cricket team was boosted by the presence of debutants like Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel. They gave a good account of themselves along with the seniors as India notched a 4-1 series win in the five-match series. Kuldeep Yadav was one of the standout performers for India. The left-arm wrist spinner was the joint third-highest wicket-taker with 19 scalps. But more than that, it was his batting which impressed everybody.
He has three 25-plus scores, which may not look big, but in terms of its impact left a lasting impression. He struck crucial stands with India in tricky spots and helped his team.
“We know Kuldeep’s got something about him when he bowls. In the last couple of years, he’s just come along a long way after he was injured and the way he’s come back in white-ball cricket and now you got to see in red ball as well what he can do.
“He’s gone back, worked with his coaches, worked here as well. I see him bowling every time, putting one stump there and just getting that accuracy right. And then, obviously, I’ve been very critical about his batting. I’ve been the one who’s been pushing him to bat well. Go and work out whatever he can because it definitely adds up when you bat at No. 8 or 9. We know how crucial it is when you add those
runs at the back end. And he’s got the ability to bat and play some shots as well,” he added.
Rohit was happy with the way Kuldeep Yadav and Shubman Gill batted in Rajkot.
“I’m very happy with his batting. He’s played a crucial role with the bat as well. In Rajkot, we wanted that partnership. It was the fourth day, morning, I think with Gill and him batting there. Although Gill was not quite pleased with that runout.
“But what makes this team quite happy is also enjoying each other’s success. Gill was quite happy about how Kuldeep batted when he came out rather than going and criticising him about that run. It definitely adds up to us when he bats like that and he puts runs on the board for us. It gives us another addition to our batting
lineup,” he concluded.
