INDIA TOUR OF SRI LANKA, 2017
Can Kuldeep match Jadeja's lofty standards?
Kuldeep Yadav will have some big shoes to fill if he's selected for the third Test © BCCI
Ravindra Jadeja's suspension may come out as harsh, but it provides India with a welcome opportunity to give their third spinner a chance to fill in as a front-line one when the third Test against Sri Lanka get underway in Pallekele on Saturday (August 12).
Jadeja has played in each of India's last 15 Tests, while Ravichandran Ashwin, his spin partner, has featured in every Test India has played under Virat Kohli. This has left the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Jayant Yadav to take up the third spinner's role. Although they have managed to impress in limited outings, no Indian spinner, Jadeja and Ashwin apart, has got the chance to play a significant role leading the attack. Kuldeep now has the perfect chance.
For the Test series in Sri Lanka, Kuldeep was picked as the back-up spinner and it looked set that he was going to warm the benches and ferry drinks for the entire Test trip. He might have gotten a chance if India went in with a third spinner, but even on a rank turner at the SSC, Kuldeep wasn't called up. India stuck to their bowling combination of Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, Ashwin and Jadeja and validated the decision by securing an innings win.
But out of nowhere, Kuldeep has now been thrown into the spotlight, and filling in for the world's best Test bowler and leading Test all-rounder is hardly going to make his job any easier. Kohli, the Indian captain, had emphasised how vital Jadeja was to the side after the last game.
"Yeah, guys who have both abilities are very rare to find. That's where we think they're very precious, specially in the longer format because they provide you with great balance," he had said. "He can give you a very quick 60-70 anywhere, at any stage of the game, it can really turn the game. Remember Lord's, remember Dharamsala against Australia, those are very important innings, the 90 against England in Mohali. So it's not just when the batters are doing well, his runs have come under pressure.
"Also, he has the ability, he believes in it and he's worked extra hard in the last 10-12 months on his batting. He's bowled so much that the other discipline was left behind, but now he's catching up in that as well. It's only going to do good to him. If he doesn't bowl well on a particular day, he can score runs. Once he scores runs, then he gets confidence with the ball also. He's always in the game, his fielding as well. I would say he's a very valuable cricketer for us."
© Cricbuzz
Replacing such a 'valuable' cricketer is not going to be any easy. But no player takes up the game just to sit on the sidelines, especially when the team is on a roll. Kuldeep would have been rubbing his hands waiting to grab his next opportunity, and although that comes in the manner he least expected, the chance for him to stake his claim has come.
But there will be plenty of challenges for Kuldeep. Sri Lanka would be delighted at not having to face Jadeja, after his fifer in the second innings had sent them hurtling to a series defeat, and they would look at Kuldeep as the weak-link in the attack. With Hardik Pandya also in the bowling scheme, the set up suddenly looks a lot more inexperienced. Kuldeep and Hardik have a combined three Tests between them. Also, India will not have a bowler who predominantly takes the ball away from the right-hander, making Kuldeep's task all the more tough.
With the bat, too, India's lower middle-order now looks a tad shaky. Kuldeep has shown, in domestic cricket, that he is more than a capable batsman. However, Jadeja in recent time has been giving India a lot of joy, smashing his side to stronger positions. Jadeja's fielding is a key aspect for India, too. Kuldeep will not only have high benchmarks to maintain with the ball, but he'll also be judged for what he does while fielding and with the bat. For a 22-year old playing in only his second Test, if picked, it might come as a massive challenge.
However, one of India's greatest strengths over the last year has been their fringe players standing up when the chances came their way. It has made the side not worry too much when regular players go missing. Should Kuldeep be able to show them that he can step in and be a success, India will not so much mind another Jadeja temper tantrum, or a needlessly authoritarian ICC suspension.
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