Indian wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who has charmed everyone in a short but impressive span, on Wednesday, accepted a challenge given to him by the veteran spinner Bishen Singh Bedi.
“Look, it’s not easy to figure out whether Kuldeep has control by watching him bowl four overs in T20 or 10 overs in ODIs. Let him bowl 30-40 overs in an innings, we can then figure out that. In India, we jump to the conclusion very easily just after one hat-trick. So let’s not rush. Give him time to settle down and for us to assess him logically,” Bedi was quoted saying in last month.
Kuldeep, who has played just two Test matches for India, expressed his desire to bowl long spells consistently in the Test format.
“The last six months have been great and I have got plenty of chances to play for India. When you are starting off, you want to play each and every game for India irrespective of format. But in the longer run, I would love to win as many Test matches as possible for my country,” Yadav told PTI on Wednesday.
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The 22-year-old Kanpur boy made his Test debut at Dharamsala in March this year. Kuldeep claimed four wickets in his first match, followed by a five-wicket haul in his second Test at Pallekele, Sri Lanka, in August.
Accepting Bedi’s viewpoint with utmost humility, Kuldeep said: “He has been great of the game and I understand where he is coming from. Bowling long spells in first-class cricket are something I have always looked forward to. There is no better feeling for a spinner than getting a batsman out after setting him up. That sort of planning is only possible in the longest format.”
In all, Kuldeep has claimed 32 wickets in 17 international matches. Up next, India are scheduled to play three ODIs and as many T20Is against New Zealand, starting October 22.