India vs Bangladesh: Kuldeep Yadav could be cynosure in Kanpur Test

Add as a preferred source on Google

A Test match in Kanpur and how can Kuldeep Yadav not be part of it? This must be the question uppermost in the minds of cricket fans who will track the India vs Bangladesh second Test, starting at the Green Park on Friday.

For those who have followed Indian cricket over the last five decades plus, there have been many talented spinners who never got to play for India during the time the golden quartet dominated -- Bishan Bedi, EAS Prasanna, S.Venkataraghavan and B. Chandrashekhar.

This generation may be unaware of Rajinder Goel and Sarkar Talwar, classy spinners who dominated first-class cricket but never got to play for India. A bit similar was Karnataka's Raghuram Bhat, who played just two Tests. Kuldeep is still lucky, he had played 12 Tests and taken 53 wickets.

At the start of the 2024 season, he had dominated against England in the home series with a rich haul of 19 wickets in four Tests. Those Tests showed Kuldeep in good light as a left-arm wrist spinner as well as someone who had worked hard on his batting skill set.

More recently, when India toured the USA and West Indies, Kuldeep played an important role as Rohit Sharma and the team lifted the ICC T20 World Cup. The whole template that skipper Rohit Sharma had set up was spin-centric, in which Kuldeep played an important role. After Rohit Sharma retired from the T20 format, Kuldeep had praised his skipper profusely as well.

It's nobody's fault Kuldeep had not played too many Tests. If one looks at the way R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have dominated the longer format, for Kuldeep and Axar Patel to have played Tests is in itself a bonus. All four are talented in their own ways and Kuldeep has worked very hard on his game, as a bowler as well as improved batter.

His performances in the IPL, too, have been stand out. Yes, one expects Kuldeep to play in his hometown, and that will be a big thrill for the fans. For those, who are already talking about the wrist spinner turning 30 in December, there is still a lot of cricket left in him.

Unlike fast bowlers, the spinners have a longer shelf life. They can learn, innovate and keep plying their trade. If one goes through what people write about Ashwin, the phrase, in the "twilight of his career" keeps cropping up. Ashwin has not said that at age 38 he is backing off.

By that yardstick, Kuldeep is still very young! For sheer volume of cricket which India plays, preservation is a must. The advantage with spinners is they do not have to put in as much effort as a fast bowler. For example, Jasprit Bumrah is still relevant in all formats, even though he will turn 31 in December. There will be talk of workload management for Bumrah but Kuldeep will have to keep fighting for his spot in the Test side.

If one looks at the modern-day cricketers who are making a mark, most are bursting onto the scene as batters. So, there will always be an opportunity for quality spinners like Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. Will the Kanpur man be seen on view in the second Test and should he bring in the crowds at a venue which will be affected by rain is no longer conjecture.