Another Indian legend heaps praise on Kuldeep Yadav

What’s the story

Left-arm chinamen Kuldeep Yadav’s growing credentials in the International arena has earned him yet another admirer. The latest to join the bandwagon is legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who feels that the left-arm leg-spinner is “ready for the longest version of the game”.

“I have always maintained that he’s ready for the longest version of the game and that will be the most challenging one. I think he’s ready. Looking at his repertoire he has the capability to go there and compete, without any doubt. The English summer is pretty warm this time. If there’s a bit of help for our spinners then I am sure we will be in a position in the series to hurt them. That will be a critical factor,” Tendulkar was quoted by the Reuters.

On the Wrist-spin duo

Kuldeep has had a resounding impact in international cricket ever since he made his debut last year. The duo of Chahal and Kuldeep spun India to a 5-1 ODI series win in South Africa. Kuldeep started the English white-ball sojourn with a five-wicket haul at Old Trafford and backed it up with a 5-fer at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Across seven Limited-overs games, Kuldeep finished with 21 wickets. With a plethora of English batsmen struggling to pick, Kuldeep was picked in the Test squad for the impending 5-match series alongside Jadeja and Ashwin.

On India’s fast-bowling depth

Speaking about India’s bowling might, Tendulkar feels that depth in the squad is such that the Men in Blue can overcome the problems they’d encountered with injuries to Bumrah and Bhuvneshar Kumar.

“We have bowlers who can bat and we have batters who can roll their arm over. The ‘keeper’s contribution also becomes important in batting and we have that. Ashwin and Jadeja can also bat. We also have a seam-bowling all-rounder in Hardik Pandya who can bat. That was one element missing, though Hardik’s just started his career. But whatever I see on paper, we have good balance. It’s always nice to have the full playing XI. It’s nice to have all the players available. But injuries happen and not having the full squad is also part and parcel of any sport. It’s one of those challenges we have to face and it doesn’t mean we won’t be able to produce the results. We are in a position to produce the results.” said the Indian legend.

Reminiscing about his playing days“One example that I was part of – we had gone to play in Toronto against Pakistan and we were without [Javagal] Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and [Anil] Kumble, who were our three frontline bowlers. And we beat Pakistan 4-1,” Tendulkar rounded off the chat by reminiscing about his playing days where there was a lack of quality back-up options.

For more sports news & best fantasy prediction, visit IndiaFantasy.com

For daily fantasy sports tips on your mobile phone, Fill out the form below