Kuldeep Yadav scored his fourth fifty in Test cricket by taking 5/72 on Day 1 in Dharamshala. test match. Ravichandran Ashwin in his 100th Test took 4/51 as India defeated England for 218 in their first innings.
India ended the day in a strong position at 135/1. Yashasvi Jaiswal (57) added a 104-run stand with captain Rohit Sharma, who was unbeaten on 52. The captain added a 31-run stand with Shubman Gill (26) to ensure India ended the day on a high.
Meanwhile, on a flat batting pitch, Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling performance was praised by all the commentators presiding over the match. Sanjay Manjrekar even talked about making Kuldeep a permanent feature in the Indian Test side after this performance. There was talk of India playing as an additional seamer, but Rohit persisted with Kuldeep and delivered.
After the end of the day’s play, Kuldeep Yadav revealed his interesting conversation with Ravichandran Ashwin, who also took four wickets and made his 100th Test outing a memorable one.
“He is very kind and humble. Obviously, playing his 100th Test match for India… is incredible. I have been on the team for seven years and I have seen the ups and downs of it. It’s nice to have him in the locker room and learn from him. I thought he was playing his 100th game and he deserves it. He is a very special player.” Kuldeep said.
Kuldeep further revealed what Ashwin told him at the back of the pavilion after the day’s play in Dharamshala.
“He told me the same thing! …I’m 35, so you can keep it! Kuldeep said.
It was Kuldeep who wanted to hand the ball to the senior spinner out of respect, but Ashwin, being the player that he is, insisted that Kuldeep keep the match ball and also take the team out of the field after the end of the innings.
Also Read: Yashasvi Jaiswal breaks Virat Kohli’s all-time Test record against England to top elite list
It was a day when Indian spinners took all 10 opposition wickets. Kuldeep took five, Ashwin took four and Ravindra Jadeja took the key wicket of Joe Root. The Indian fielders kept up their catches and were also efficient in their run fielding.
After the bowling performance, it was India’s batting performance that stole the show. During the course of the innings, Rohit crossed 1000 runs as India’s Test captain. Yashasvi Jaiswal crossed 700 runs in the series and also crossed 1000 Test runs.
Jaiswal now has 712 runs in the series so far, surpassing Virat Kohli’s 655-run series against England in 2016. He is also the second Indian batsman to score more than 700 runs in a Test series after Sunil Gavaskar did so three times in his career.
I am enjoying my game: Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav also surpassed 50 Test wickets in his 12th Test match similar to Axar Patel. However, he did it in fewer balls, in 1871 compared to Axar’s 2205.
“I’m enjoying my game. To be honest, I worked hard after my surgery in 2021. It’s just the reward I’m getting now. I worked on my pace, it is very important when you play a Test match in India. I’m just enjoying bowling. I liked Zak Crawley’s wicket. He batted very well throughout the series, a good spin player. It is important not to think about the wicket and I am someone who relies on my ability and length variation. Don’t think about what the wicket is going to produce. Just focus on the areas.” Kuldeep spoke about his mindset towards the game.
Also Read: Watch: Rohit Sharma’s sensational shot from Mark Wood’s lightning bolt that dazzled Suryakumar Yadav
