New Delhi, Oct 14 Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who picked up eight wickets and was one of the vital cogs in India beating the West Indies by seven wickets for clinching a 2-0 Test series win, said bowling a lot of overs on a slow pitch and getting breakthroughs was something which he enjoyed doing a lot.
Across five days at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, India's spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar bowled 143.5 overs collectively to pick up 13 wickets between themselves. Kuldeep, the leading wicket-taker in the series, also had figures of 5-82, which helped India get a 270-run lead.
"This was a totally different wicket. Bowling a lot of overs was the challenge here, I enjoyed bowling here. There wasn't any drift here. The wicket was too dry. Bowling lot of overs and getting the breakthrough is something I enjoy a lot. When you put a lot of revs, you generally get the drift.
“You love to the get the batter bowled. I enjoyed a couple of wickets in the first Tests, here as well. We got to fly tomorrow (to Australia for the white-ball series), we got to prepare for that. It's lovely to have him (Jadeja) around. He's someone who has always guided me in tough situations and given me some advice," said Kuldeep after the game.
Jadeja, India’s vice-captain for the series in Rishabh Pant’s absence, said stepping into a more prominent bowling role following Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement and being given role clarity by head coach Gautam Gambhir with the bat has helped him hit a purple patch in Tests.
"I could get a chance to bowl more overs (after Ashwin's retirement). But yeah, all in all, we’ve been doing wonderful work as a team, in terms of batting and bowling. I think we know what brand of cricket we’ve been playing over the last five or six months. So that’s a good sign as a team, that we continue to do it over a long period of time.
“As Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) said, I’m at number six now. So I’m thinking more as a proper batsman, and that works for me. In the past, for many years, I’ve been batting at number eight, number nine, so my mindset was a little different from what I have now. I’m just trying to spend more time in the middle whenever I get a chance to bat.
“To be honest, I don’t think too much about records. I just focus on contributing with both bat and ball to help my team win. I always look forward to do that. I feel if I don’t perform with bat and ball, then it doesn’t reflect my value as a player. I’m always keen and give my 100 percent. I think this is my third Man of the Series trophy, so I’m very happy to bring it back home," he said.
B Sai Sudharsan, who hit 87 and 39 with the bat at number three, spoke about how captain Gill has instilled confidence in him to have a long career in Tests. "It feels really great to be honest. After a good series where we gave them a fight (in England), coming back to India and winning the series is special. I've learnt a lot in these five games, and I'm looking forward to improving on that and, obviously, giving a bit more for the team.”
“Understanding the role and what a number three must do, learning to take responsibility and bat in a risk-free manner is something I will take forward. I've played a lot with Shubi (Gill). The way he captains and the way he gives beliefs to the players, I think it's really great. Looking forward to having a lot more opportunities," said Sudharsan.
Asked on his freak catch to dismiss John Campbell in the first innings and spending time off the field to treat his injured hand, Sudharsan added, "I was very clear that he would not sweep. The wicket was low and I knew he'd not play the sweep shot, so I was brave enough to hold my position. I was very lucky there."
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