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Transformation to red ball cricket was challenging for me: Kuldeep Yadav

Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav says he needs to be more patient in the red ball format

Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav says he needs to be patient in the red ball cricket

Bengaluru, September 4: Kuldeep Yadav was the toast of the nation during the limited over series against England, bamboozling Englishmen with his chinaman. The efforts in the limited over versions earned Kuldeep a place in the Test squad but conditions at Lord's ensured that he had a less than satisfactory outing in the second Test.

Kuldeep bowled just nine overs conceding 44 runs for no wicket and he was sent back home after the third Test considering the limited chances of playing a second spinner in the series. Kuldeep, however, was added to the India A side facing Australia A so that he gets some game time. Now, that India are soon to host the West Indies and travelling to Australia, Kuldeep wanted to use all the chances to gain more experience in red ball cricket.

INDIA VS WINDIES SCHEDULE</a> | <a class=ASHWIN DOUBTFUL FOR 5TH TEST" title="INDIA VS WINDIES SCHEDULE | ASHWIN DOUBTFUL FOR 5TH TEST" />INDIA VS WINDIES SCHEDULE | ASHWIN DOUBTFUL FOR 5TH TEST

On how he adjusted to the pitch at the Chinnaswamy Stadium: The wicket was a bit slow from the first day itself. There was not much spin because it's a fresh wicket. So, it was challenging to bowl on this wicket because when the wicket is slow you will have to vary the pace because batsmen will have some time to play their shots. So, I took a little time to adjust to the wicket but I became comfortable as the match progressed.

On the challenges of playing red-ball cricket after a lengthy gap: It was very challenging to use the red ball after a gap because I was quite used to the white ball cricket. Then I got selected to the Test team so it became a bit challenging for me.

On the challenge to bowl long overs and to different field settings after playing only the white ball formats: It has been while since, I think more than a year, I bowled 20-plus overs. You have to change your mindset when you come to play with the red ball. With the red ball, you need to be very patient as wickets may not come your way as it happens in the limited over formats. But that should not prevent me from looking for wickets but without trying too much. In ODIs and T20s, you tend to try a lot of variations but with the red ball, Test cricket, you need to focus on your line and length rather than trying a lot of things.

On the sudden transformation from India to India A: Nothing much changes because India and India A are almost of the same level. Many players playing here already played for India or are about to make to the India team. Yes, I have to mentally prepare for this match because I was coming straight from England and the conditions were very different. I was using the Duke ball there and the pitches were a bit more quick. Then I returned to India and used SG ball which gets a bit softer as the game goes on and bowling gets more demanding. I got used to it (SG ball) after 2-3 days of practice. I was not really comfortable here (against Australia A) in the first innings but as the game went on I settled into a rhythm.

The difference when you play for the country is that there will be a lot of expectations on you. If you are playing a Test series against England then there will be lot of crowd as well. Here, you hardly get crowd and you need to find motivation and keep focusing on your performance and try to give a good position for whichever team you are playing - India or India A.

On getting feedback from team thinktank before leaving England: I spoke to MSK (Prasad) sir and Ravi (Shastri) sir. They told me to play as much cricket as possible. There I played one Test and the conditions were such that only one spinner might have required during the series, so opportunity for me was less. Here, there were some chances for me to play because sitting out of the team does not really help me. I also wanted to play as many games as possible because you improve when you play more games. In that perspective, these two games (India A vs Australia A) are very important because I can build my red ball experience. So, I can be ready for future challenges and if you look...West Indies are coming to India for Tests. If I get into rhythm for India A then I will be in a better place against the Windies when my chance comes.

Story first published: Tuesday, September 4, 2018, 22:33 [IST]
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