Published: Aug 22, 2018, 12:05 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 22, 2018, 12:07 PM (IST)
Kuldeep Yadav has taken England by storm with his performances in white-ball cricket during India‘s ongoing tour of England. However, he failed when picked ahead of Ravindra Jadeja in his only outing in the Test series, at Lord’s, going wicketless and registering a pair. Dilip Doshi, former Bengal captain and Indian left-arm spinner, believes that it is too early for Kuldeep to play Test cricket.
“He is a young kid who is learning, still too raw for Test cricket. He is very slow in the air because his non-bowling arm falls apart very early in his delivery stride. It’s fine in T20s and ODIs where you only bowl 4 or 10 overs. But your deficiencies get exposed in Test cricket too fast,” Doshi told The Times of India.
What about Jadeja, the man Kuldeep kept out? “”He is quite good you see, he bowls steady and straight and with the DRS there, you get a lot more leg-befores. I would love to see him play the next Test match,” said Doshi.
Doshi, one must remember, made his Test debut at 32 — and made an immediate impact with six wickets. He is one of five cricketers who have reached a hundred wickets despite debuting after turning thirty (the others being Clarrie Grimmett, Bruce Yardley, Mohammad Rafique, and Ryan Harris). It is understandable that Doshi would insist on some experience before being handed a Test cap.
As expected, Doshi also spoke highly of Virat Kohli: “He is really playing with great responsibility and character. The way he has adjusted his to the demands of the conditions proves that he is a great batsman.”
Of Ravichandran Ashwin, he said: “I am very happy that he has understood the importance of his stock ball — the off-break. For a good spinner, 98 per cent of his deliveries should be the stock ball and he was earlier bothering a little too much about his variation. He is a much-improved bowler and if he is fit, I think he is going to play a significant role in the second innings of this Test as well.”
