Sidhharth Kaul is just three ODIs and two T20Is old. He knows it isn’t going to be easy to get back into the Indian team, given the long waiting list of pace bowlers, but he is now bowling as well as he has ever done.
He has just bowled Punjab to a much-needed victory over Kerala at the PCA Stadium here. He took six wickets in the first innings, and two in the second.
He generated good pace, maintained impeccable line and length, swung the ball, and bowled effective bouncers as well. The match also saw him taking his second six-wicket haul of the season.
“I am really happy that I could help my team win the match,” Kaul told The Hindu. “I enjoyed bowling here, though the wicket has been slowing down. Taking all those wickets against Delhi on a turning track was very nice.”
The 28-year-old has also had an excellent tour of New Zealand with the India-A team. He had taken four for 37 to help his side win the final one-dayer.
“The wickets were rather flat in New Zealand, but I wasn’t bothered by that,” he said. “Where I am playing and whoever I am playing for, be it India, my IPL or state side, I just concentrate on my performance.”
He said he was bowling quicker than before because he had worked on it. “You have to improve all aspects of your bowling all the time, if you want to surprise the batsmen,” he said. “For a pace bowler speed is very important.”
Punjab’s bowling coach and former Indian seamer Harvinder Singh is happy with the improvement Kaul has made. “I think he is one of India’s best pace bowlers and has the potential to do well in Tests,” he said. “He is capable of long spells, is very athletic and has a fine action. I feel he is at his peak and India needs to try him now.”
Kaul sees playing in different formats an exciting challenge. He had done rather well in the shortest format last season — he had taken 21 wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.
As for the competition among fast bowlers, he thinks it is a good thing. “Only when you compete with others will you know how good you are,” he said.
