Published
By Pawan Atri · 4 min read
Irfan Pathan faced criticism for his ‘fake’ analysis of India spinner Kuldeep Yadav following the latter’s match-defining performance against Sri Lanka in the second ODI in Kolkata.
Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the Indian bowlers at the Eden Gardens as he bamboozled the Sri Lankan batters with his left-arm wrist spin, finishing with figures of 3 for 51 in 10 overs.
The chinaman bowler was at his best during the match, extracting spin, bounce, and dip from the pitch, giving the opposition batters a tough time in the middle. He was subsequently named the Man of the Match after India secured a 4-wicket triumph to accomplish a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
After the match, Irfan Pathan posted a tweet explaining the reasons behind Kuldeep Yadav’s success, including the changes the chinaman bowler has made to his run up and the speed at which he was delivering his balls.
“Kuldeep Yadav has changed his run up angle that has changed his alignment & that is helping him to bowl quicker. Fantastic work by him,” Irfan Pathan said on the microblogging platform.
However, retired India cricketer Laxman Sivaramakrishnan in a series of tweets called out his “fake” analysis of Kuldeep Yadav.
Being a spinner himself, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan knows a thing or two about spin bowling, and that’s why he was heavily critical of Irfan Pathan’s examination of Kuldeep Yadav’s performance.
“I don’t know what was discussed on commentary. Bowling fast does not help a spinner. You HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD, BALANCE YOUR BODY will allow Kuldeep to spin more through the air, hence being more effective. MORE SPIN MORE BITE OF THE PITCH, that’s why they are called Spinners,” Laxman Sivaramakrishnan replied.
“If they bowl quick it will skid of the pitch and not be effective. Bowling slower through the air, spinning more and a good finish is required. Bowl with the body and not your hand alone,” he added.
Kuldeep Yadav was drafted into the playing XI after Yuzvendra Chahal suffered an injury and wasn’t available for selection.
His inclusion in the team even forced former India speedster Dodda Ganesh to take a sly dig at the Indian think tank, including head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma.
“Kuldeep, enough man. Don’t pick so many wickets. With 3 wkts already the odds of u being dropped for the next match are really high #DoddaMathu #CricketTwitter #INDvSL,” the former Indian cricketer tweeted.
His sarcastic words for Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma came after Kuldeep Yadav was dropped from the second Test against Bangladesh last month.
Interestingly, Kuldeep Yadav was the Man of the Match in the previous Test, having accomplished a five-wicket haul in the first essay before sending three more Bangladesh batters back to the pavilion in the next innings. Moreover, Kuldeep Yadav contributed with the bat as well, scoring a vital 40 runs in India’s first innings.
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Some even claimed it was Rahul Dravid’s ‘dirty mind’ that decided to exclude spinner Kuldeep Yadav from the playing XI in Mirpur because such a move could only be backed by a mindless person and not by someone who has played 164 Tests and 344 ODIs.
While others demanded his removal as the coach of the Indian cricket team because he had no clue whatsoever about the side’s composition.
Dodda Ganesh termed the decision “shocking” and “ridiculous” at the time.
After India secured the win in Bengal, Kuldeep Yadav spoke about what went right for him in Kolkata.
“My focus was to bowl good length,” Kuldeep told BCCI’s official channel after the game. “I have played at Eden a lot and the pitch isn’t great for spinners. Bowling good length meant I can avoid giving room. And from there use my variations – to turn it away or bowl the googly. I have also been bowling with an aggressive rhythm, and the variation in pace left the batters unsure on whether to play off the front foot or the back foot.
“My mindset now has changed a lot. Earlier I thought I need to give good performance and take wickets. Now it is that I should bowl to my strengths and not bowl bad bowls. And as you know, wickets will definitely come if you’re a wristspinner bowling in good areas.”
“I also want to say thank you to Chahal,” Kuldeep Yadav said. “I walked into the team from a Test series, but you [Chahal] played the T20s and the last ODI. Your inputs on how to bowl helped, so thank you. Small inputs always help. It is unlucky we are not playing so much together these days on the field but your tips have helped me a lot,” he summed up.
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