Kuldeep Yadav (L) and Rishabh Pant during IPL 2024© BCCI
Former Indian cricket team batsman Sanjay Manjrekar believes Kuldeep Yadav should partner Ravindra Jadeja in the spin department for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. After Kuldeep's fantastic bowling in Delhi Capitals' thrilling win over Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024 on Wednesday , Manjrekar said Kuldeep looks like a “Jasprit Bumrah or Yuzvendra Chahal at his peak” and the confidence can be a big asset for India in the upcoming tournament. He further added that Kuldeep is comfortable handling responsibilities and can form a formidable partnership with Ravindra Jadeja.
“Yes. And this is perhaps Kuldeep Yadav at his peak in terms of his skills and his confidence. You can see now that he is out there like a Bumrah or Chahal at his peak. He commands that kind of respect. He looks like his ease with the responsibility and champions, you know, those breaks and those moments that you look for at the right time,” Manjrekar told Star Sports.
“The other day today, DC wanted a wicket. They got Tewatia's wicket there and just seized the game. So this is where Kuldeep has now become a champion bowler and he is someone who, I mean, we have to take note of. Ravindra Jadeja will come in as a left-arm spinner and Kuldeep as a second spinner,” he added.
Kuldeep impressed in IPL 2024 with 12 wickets from 6 matches.
“Happy to get the win. These two points are very important. Great match. Going into the last over we knew it was going to be very tight. We had a plan, coach and captain wanted one when Tewatia came on Fortunately it worked out. You have to read the batsmen and see what they are trying to do. We batted well, 225 is a good total.
“I just concentrated on my lines and lengths and saw what the batters were trying to do. (On Tewatia's wicket) I threw a few balls into the wicket towards him, thought he might slog-sweep, it was a good plan from the keeper and we got the wicket,” Kuldeep said after the match.
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