Harbhajan Singh explains how KKR spinner can make amends: Veteran spinner was vocal about KKR spinner’s poor form.
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Veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh has admitted that 24-year old chinaman bowler is going through a “rough patch”. In the nine matches which Yadav has played for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2019, he dismissed four batsmen at an average of 71.50, an economy rate of 8.66 and a strike rate of 49.50.
The above mentioned numbers don’t justify the potential of a wicket-taking bowling option. Him remaining wicket-less in six out of nine matches finally made the team management rest him for the last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“There is no doubt that Kuldeep is going through a rough patch in IPL. T20 is a format which can destroy the confidence of any bowler but let’s not compare formats. One-day [match] is a different ball game and you will see a very different Kuldeep,” Harbhajan was quoted as saying to PTI recently.
On technical problems
The first thing which attracts bountiful eyeballs during such a time is a player’s technique. Being asked about the same, the veteran spinner quashed anything of that sort happening with Kuldeep. On the other hand, he pointed out how bowling in front of Indian batsmen in a likely concern for the chinaman bowler.
“I have watched a bit of his bowling and I don’t think there is any technical problems. And please check who all are hitting Kuldeep? The Indian guys are primarily hitting him. Virat [Kohli] in two games, Mayank [Agarwal], Mandy [Mandeep Singh], Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer and Shikhar Dhawan.
“Leave aside Virat, who is in a different league, all these guys are competent players of spin bowling. They read Kuldeep’s wrists much better than foreign batsmen. So in World Cup, Kuldeep will be bowling mostly to those who are still not reading him well. I think you will see a different Kuldeep,” Harbhajan assured of Yadav reaping fruits during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
On bowling length
As far as the bowling approach is concerned, Harbhajan expressed his opinion as to how Yadav can tinker his length depending on how the batsmen are treating him. “If he is getting hit by giving the deliveries more air, for a change, he can just push it a bit faster. If they are stepping out and hitting from length, he can just alter the length by half a yard.
“Now when you get hit, your mind does not work automatically. So there comes in the captain, who should tell him, ‘Okay, you have tried your thing, now try what I am telling you’. It helps a youngster,” Harbhajan highlighted on the captain’s role in cases when bowlers concede a lot of runs.
Once against laying emphasis on the change in formats, Harbhajan talked about how ODIs will aid Kuldeep to find form. “He may get hit but in the middle overs, the skipper will pack one side of the field, whether it’s inside 30-yard circle or outside. Even if he is hit for two fours, he can come back with figures of 3/50 or 2 for 45 on most days. And that’s decent figures. In ODIs, you have to be a real bad bowler to go for 75-80 runs everyday,” Harbhajan concluded.
