Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has lauded young spinner Kuldeep Yadav for his stellar bowling performance in the second innings of the first Test against West Indies at Rajkot.
After receiving some beating in the first innings, Kuldeep came back emphatically in the second essay to claim his maiden five-wicket haul (5/57) in Test cricket. The 23-year-old removed Kieran Powell (83), Shai Hope (17), Shimron Hetmyer (11), Sunil Ambris (0) and Roston Chase (20) to help India thrash West Indies by an innings and 272 runs.
"The way Kuldeep recovered after the first innings, the way he adjusted his length, the way he went round the wicket, shows that he is a thinking bowler. About the fact that he has got guts, he has got a big heart to take punishment, there has never been a second opinion about that,” Gavaskar told India Today.
“He has always been a gutsy bowler because wrist spinners, will always bowl the odd full-toss, the odd short-pitched delivery and they will get punished but to come back after that and to keep persisting is what makes him a bit different than a lot of other bowlers," he added.
Gavaskar also believes that the left-arm chinaman bowler can play a big role in Australia considering the nature of surfaces Down Under.
"On the Australian pitches, where the bowl bounces a lot more and there is turn for the wrist spinners as we have seen with Shane Warne, the Indian selection committee will think very seriously. If not for the first Test because the square boundaries at Adelaide are little bit short and he might get a little punished over there but other grounds, where the square boundaries aren't that short, he certainly has to come in the frame for a place in the XI," he opined.
The legendary India opener feels such resounding victories before the Australia tour will keep Virat Kohli and company in a right frame of mind.
"A win is a win. Every time you win you grow in confidence. Virat and everyone in the team know when they go to Australia with these massive wins it will give them confidence," Gavaskar concluded.
The second Test between India and West Indies will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad from October 12.
