Cricket pundits had been waiting with bated breaths for India vs England T20 match on 3 July since the star duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal has been on the rise. This match was to test the mettle of the spin duo of the men in blue and justify the faith Virat Kohli had reposed in the two talismans of his to trouble the opponent 's batting order.
England has of late been a tough side to defeat. With a more daring and fearless side prone to taking chances and differ ing from the traditional, conservative brand of cricket England is known to play, this new line-up was touted as the Goliath that Chahal-Kuldeep would face. After yesterday’s match, one thing is sure: the English side does not appear to be a Biblical villain anymore. If anything, the English team would be throwing salt over their shoulders in the hope of not being haunted by two words: wrist spin.
Wrist spin has been an old and familiar foe of England. The opponent that has seemingly taunted and tamed them for as long as most of us can remember. A foe that, in various guises, has inflicted Ashes defeats, subcontinent whitewashes and global event exits. Even as recently as the Under-19 World Cup!
England aggressively contained the Indian bowling attack till the 12th over where they were 100-2, with the Indian bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4-0-45-0), Umesh Yadav (4-0-21-2), Yuzvendra Chahal (4-0-34-0), Hardik Pandya (4-0-33-1) failing to impress. However, that was until Kuldeep Yadav took over the bowling for the Indian side. The tune of Kill Bill must have been playing on his mind as he turned the ball in his hand readying himself for the kill.
With a performance that will go down in cricketing history as one of the most lethal , which annihilated the opposing side, Kuldeep’s stint of 4-0-24-5 can be best summed up in captain Virat Kohli’s statement later on : “Kuldeep's one over really turned the game for us, and it was just wonderful to watch.”
This was the second T20I in succession between these sides in which an India wrist-spinner has claimed a five-for and defined the game. On the previous occasion, in Bangalore, it was the leg-spin of Yuzvendra Chahal that had inflicted a collapse of eight wickets for eight runs upon England. This time it was the left-arm wrist-spin of Kuldeep who, within three minutes, dismissed the cream of England's limited-overs batting on the way to achieving the first five-for by a spinner in a T20I in England. Turning the ball both ways, varying his pace by more than 20 mph from one delivery to the next, and retaining his control, either way, this was an excellent display of bowling skills indeed!
The English Captain Ian Morgan gracefully conceded that their side had witnessed some excellent bowling from Kuldeep, "If you're facing a guy who turns it both ways and disguises it well, it's challenging to replicate -- because there is nobody else who bowls like that. So, you have to have a pretty clear plan, and stick to it."
It is apparent that the English side is unaccustomed to this deceiving brand of bowling and the next match on Friday will bear testimony to whether Kuldeep spins magic on the field again or can England contain him?
This brings us to this question that is Chahal and Kuldeep the new Jadeja- Ashwin of the Men in Blue?
When did Ravindra Jadeja play for the national side in an ODI? The answer is July 6th 2017. Another question could be, when was the last time Ravichandran Ashwin was a part of the ‘men in blue’ for the ODI? The answer is June 30th 2017.
These figures make one wonder as to why a pair that has taken more than 300 wickets between them and is touted as the ‘most successful contemporary spin duo’, not a part of the national squad for the 50m over the format for almost a year? Well to answer that, it appears the Indian side has found its talisman in two words- wrist spin.
After the dismal performance of the Indian Cricket Team against arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy Finals, last June, which India lost by 180 runs; a deep analysis of the side was inevitable. The results of this introspection of the part of the Indian side revealed that tepid bowling followed by a batting capitulation brought on by the Captain Virat Kohli’s wrong decision of bowling after winning the toss was the reasons for the catastrophe. Further analysis revealed that the magic duo of Jadeja-Ashwin has been fading ever since the World Cup of 2015. According to statistics that appeared in Scroll. In, off-spinner Ashwin’s ODI bowling average of 31.93 until the 2015 event had risen to an abysmal 47.3 after it. His economy-rate (4.85 to 5.6), strike-rate (39.4 to 50.6) and wickets per innings (1.4 to 1.1) had also worsened considerably. Slow left-armed Jadeja’s numbers were even direr: bowling average – 33.19 to 61.58, economy-rate – 4.84 to 5.47, strike-rate – 41 to 67.5, and wickets per innings – 1.25 to 0.8.
These numbers did force thought into the reasons behind the dipping performances, and while constant travelling, excessive matches and frequent switches in the format have contributed to the decline in the performance of the duo, both Ashwin and Jadeja have consistently attempted to contain rather than attack the batsman.
However, the ‘men in blue’ have found the answer to their desperate pleas in the duo- Chahal and Kuldeep. While the Jadeja-Ashwin duo employed the technique of finger spinning and aimed at containing the batsmen, Chahal-Kuldeep is wrist spinners and tend to attack the batsmen rather than hold them. While wrist spinning is more challenging regarding controlling the ball, this technique gives a wider berth of improvisations like the addition of more spin or carrying the ball more air.
For the last seven months, this dynamic duo has expressed a hunger for wickets and fearlessness and innovation with the technique. Chahal has taken 34 wickets in 19 ODIs at an average of 21.88, while Kuldeep has managed 28 wickets from 16 matches at 20.77. They have improvised at pitches like those of South Africa which are not favourable for spinners traditionally and have tempted and lured batsmen to charge down the track and hit miscalculated over-the-top shots. And if India vs Ireland match on 28th June 2018, where between them the duo took seven wickets with Chahal picked up 3 wickets for 38 runs in 4 overs and Kuldeep delivered a career best of 4 wickets for 21 runs, was any indicator; this duo is set to dismantle opposition at the ICC World Cup to be held in 2019. Whether they dismantle the careers of the senior players with their hunger and zeal is something that time will tell!
However, the ‘men in blue’ have found the answer to their desperate pleas in the duo- Chahal and Kuldeep. While the Jadeja-Ashwin duo employed the technique of finger spinning and aimed at containing the batsmen, Chahal-Kuldeep is wrist spinners and tend to attack the batsmen rather than provide them. While wrist spinning is more challenging regarding controlling the ball, this technique gives a wider berth of improvisations like the addition of more spin or carrying the ball more air.
For the last seven months, this dynamic duo has expressed a hunger for wickets and fearlessness and innovation with the technique. Chahal has taken 34 wickets in 19 ODIs at an average of 21.88, while Kuldeep has managed 28 wickets from 16 matches at 20.77. They have improvised at pitches like those of South Africa which are not favourable for spinners traditionally and have tempted and lured batsmen to charge down the track and hit miscalculated over-the-top shots. This duo is set to dismantle opposition at the ICC World Cup to be held in 2019. Whether they dismantle the careers of the senior players with their hunger and zeal is something that time will tell!
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