The Indian national selectors and team management would have heaved a sigh of relief when the Kolkata Knight Riders took the call to drop Kuldeep Yadav from their playing XI, for the last couple of matches.
The left-arm wrist spinner, who has risen to be India’s first-choice spinner in recent years, and was expected to be India’s trump card in the World Cup, has had a difficult IPL season.
Kuldeep finished wicketless in six of the nine matches he played, and had only four wickets to show for his toil in the remaining three matches.
Never previously, not even in a completed IPL season, had the wrist spinner gone wicket-less in six matches.
It was after the match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, on 19 April, that the KKR management finally took the wise decision to drop Kuldeep.
In that match, he had leaked 59 runs – the most he has conceded in any T20 match and the most any Indian spinner has conceded in an IPL match – and was brought down to his knees.
To be fair to Kuldeep, the conditions he has had to bowl in – particularly at his home ground – have had little in it for the spinners.
The curator at the Eden Gardens has dished out pitches with plenty of green grass; surfaces that would have made for excellent pitches for Test matches and brought smiles on the faces of most visiting team captains.
For the IPL, however, such pitches are perhaps a little too flat and a little too green.
The Indian team management will also be worried to learn that Kuldeep has had little success against overseas batsmen in the IPL – many of whom he may have to bowl to in the upcoming World Cup.
Three of Kuldeep’s four wickets were of Indian batsman, and the solitary wicket of an overseas batsman came about after the batsman – Moeen Ali – had already scored 45 runs off 15 previous deliveries.
One can only hope that a national selector, or at least someone from the team management, has spoken to the Kolkata Knight Riders team management about the handling of Kuldeep.
They should reach out to Kuldeep personally and give him a few words of encouragement.
The need of the hour is for someone to put an arm around Kuldeep’s shoulders, help him regain some confidence, and then, at an opportune moment – when the conditions are right – throw him the ball.
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