Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opening batter Manvinder Bisla has asserted that the Indian attacking wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav should dominate in Test cricket, especially after Ravi Ashwin’s retirement.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Bisla has advised Kuldeep to prove himself as the No.1 spinner, adding that he needs to go for wickets instead of saving runs. Notably, Kuldeep could scalp only one wicket across both innings of the first Test against Sri Lanka.
“I feel that when there is turn, the captain goes towards the finger spinners. Till Ashwin and Jadeja were there, it was understandable that Kuldeep did not get many chances or was not bowling enough. Now I feel it is his time. He has to prove himself as the number one spinner. It is difficult as he is not playing regularly, and for a wrist-spinner, confidence goes down. Whenever he is brought on to bowl, they must not ask him to save runs. They must tell him to go for wickets even if the run rate goes to 4 or 4.5. It depends on how they use him. I feel Kuldeep should dominate in Test cricket at this point,” Manvinder Bisla said on TheBallyBaazi YouTube channel.
“We cannot also think only from Kuldeep’s side and say he should bowl longer spells. It is also important to see how the game is going on at that time and what the captain thinks. A lot of captains these days want spinners who save runs, bowl continuously at one spot and create pressure,” he added.
“A lot will depend on Shubman Gill and how he wants to use Kuldeep. If they do not give him long spells, but the conversations are positive and make him feel like he is the number one spinner, even if Manav shone in this game, then he will also be motivated to perform,” he said.
Furthermore, the former KKR batter has also emphasised that when there are five bowlers in the playing XI, one or two bowlers are expected to be under-bowled. It’s worth noting that Kuldeep bowled only 25 overs across both innings of the game.
“When you are playing with five bowlers in a Test, one bowler will always be under-bowled. It depends on how that bowler is also doing in that game. In Sri Lanka, with the Kookaburra ball, many times you try to bring in a fast bowler if a batter is set to see if there is reverse swing with the old ball. You think of picking 20 wickets and see what the best option is at that point in time. You don’t think that you have to only bowl Kuldeep. There are always options in the captain’s mind,” he concluded.
