Featuring in his first Test since February 2021, Kuldeep Yadav recorded career-best bowling figures of 5/40 in the ongoing Chattogram Test between India and Bangladesh.
Thanks to the wrist-spinner’s five-wicket haul, the visitors bundled out the hosts for a paltry 150, securing a massive first-innings lead of 254 runs.
“Kahne ke liye toh do saal hai par mujhe kabhi feel hi nahi hua (It might be nearly two years (22 months) but I never felt it that way,” Kuldeep told reporters after the close of play on Day 3 in Chattogram.
Kuldeep underwent a knee surgery in 2021 just before the second phase of IPL in UAE and he was out of action for quite a while before making a comeback.
“If I wouldn’t have played any cricket post-injury, then its a struggle. But for last one year, I have been continuously playing white-ball cricket and also played red-ball series against New Zealand (A series).
“I bowled long spells in that series. If you are with the team (national), then you don’t feel that pressure,” said the 28-year-old.
While Kuldeep predominantly played white-ball cricket in recent times, switching to the longest format has never been a problem for him.
“Due to my bowling style, I don’t have switch-over problems. Yes, when you are bowling in Tests, you need more control and you have to really earn your wicket as batters have long time to get set and measure you up,” he stated.
“The field positions change, formations are different and bowling one area consistently for long periods is another challenge.”
Sharing his two cents on the Chattogram track, Kuldeep said it is perfect to bat on, having himself batted on the wicket for close to 20 overs in India’s first innings.
“I believe the pitch is perfect to bat on. It was really good to bat on even against spinners. Yes some balls are keeping low and the odd ball turning. Me and Ash bhai (R Ashwin) were initially looking at first innings score of 360 but as time passed, batting became easier so we looked at 400-run total.”
Coming to the Test match, India declared their second innings on 258/2, setting an improbable target of 513 for Bangladesh.
Talking about the position of the match, Kuldeep said the Indian team has enough time to wrap it up.
“We are expecting more turn off the surface in the second innings compared to first innings.”
(With PTI inputs)
