'You also want to see good cricket': Kuldeep Yadav on missing rank turners for India-England series | Cricket news

RAJKOT: Over the years, roughly from the 2012-13 domestic season when India's then Test skipper MS Dhoni insisted that he wanted India's wickets to turn from ball 1, India has dominated opposing teams through a grand scheme-rage gymnasts who are loved Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja And Axar Patel have been almost unplayable at times, destroying batting line-ups in an instant.
It resulted in India being almost unbeatable at home, with many teams not even lasting four days as the visiting batsmen, and sometimes the hosts, succumbed to the spinners in no time. However happy the fans were with India's brutal winning streak, the cricket provided a dull one-way traffic, with the pace bowlers playing little or no role while the spinners held sway on pitches where the batsmen were never sure they were set properly .
However, the script for the ongoing tense five-Test series between India and England follows a refreshingly different pattern. Played on slow turners – the pitch for the third Test is also likely to be of a similar nature – the first two Tests produced a fair number of runs, with both matches lasting four days. While England made 246 and 420 in their first innings in Hyderabad, India made 436 and 202. In the second Test in Visakhapatnam, India made 396 and 255, while England made 253 and 292. comeback after conceding a lead of 190 points, Yashasvi Jaiswal's blazing 209 lit up Vizag and brought India back into the series.
Few could have imagined an ace spacer jasprit bumrah would lead the wicket-taking charts for India in a home series, having taken 15 scalps @10.66, over veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who had to sweat it out for his nine [email protected], after the first two Tests.
Questioned about why the rankings missing so far in this series, India's Chinese bowler Kuldeep YadavWhile speaking to the media a few days ahead of the Third Test between India and England, he replied that he too did not have much idea about it, although he did say that “for good cricket it is important that the wickets are good.”
“I have no idea. I haven't played rank turners. I haven't played the last series (the Border Gavaskar series in February-March last year) at home. So I don't know what our approach or mindset would be. It's in basically the decision of the team management. Obviously you all want to watch good cricket too. For good cricket it is important (that the wickets are good),” Kuldeep said on Tuesday.
Should rank turners be given out for home testing? Kuldeep was non-committal on the subject. “I don't know. I like to play whenever I get a chance to play, whether it's on a flat track or on a rank turner. I think it's important to keep our at-bats in mind, also at-bats are important for us, and not just spin bowling. But if you see that overall everything is important. Overall everything is important. The fast bowlers are also coming into the game, as you saw in the last match. So (good wickets ) are good for cricket. That is not the case. (the case) that you will not see rank turners in the future. Hopefully you will see (mark turning) in the future,” he said.
Calling the Rajkot pitch “good”, Kuldeep said: “It won't be a rank turner, but it will be a good wicket. When we say it's going to be a batting (friendly) wicket, we don't mean that 700 will be 800 runs here be scored, but it will be a better wicket compared to playing on a rank turner. I hope it helps the spinners who are playing.”
'I think Jadeja will play'
If Ravindra Jadeja, who missed the last Test in Vizag due to a hamstring injury, plays at Rajkot, Kuldeep is likely to sit out, with left-arm spinner Axar Patel preferred over him. Kuldeep was confident that Jadeja, who trained on Monday, would be available for the third Test.
“I think so. He is doing his routine (work). He did one session yesterday and I think he is available. I am (even) not sure of my position because there are still two days before the match. If If I get the chance I will be more than happy. I don't think too much about whether I play or not, I just enjoy my day and keep working hard and that's my process,” said the man from Kanpur.
Kuldeep, who played his first Test of the series in Vizag where he took three for 71 and 1-60, is relishing the opportunity to take aim against England's Bazball approach, which involves their batsmen attacking non-stop cricket .
Normally in Test cricket you are not used to having someone with such an attacking batting approach. But at the same time you are more involved in the game. As a spinner you are more focused on the game, how you are going to bowl and what your approach will be. Sometimes in Test cricket you are not too concerned if the batsman were to attack a lot and you concentrate on how to dismiss him. But here the approach is different, they are in attack mode so you have to plan how to restrict them because (if they) play more shots, more chances are created to take a wicket. It's interesting, the last game was my first (of the series) and I enjoyed it a lot and it's also good for cricket, the 29-year-old explained.