England Test captain Joe Root may have decoded how to tackle chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav but Sachin Tendulkar feels that the young wrist-spinner could still prove to be a handful if the home team prepares dry surfaces for the upcoming five-Test series against India, starting on August 1.
“[From] Whatever I saw on television, Root picked Kuldeep from his hand and did that really well. Now Kuldeep’s wrist action is a complex one and once he lands the ball, I don’t think too many batsmen in world cricket have got the ability to tackle him off the pitch. Root could afford to play Kuldeep late because he was picking his wrist position early,” Tendulkar said.
When asked if these are ominous signs for the Indian team, Tendulkar begged to differ. “I don’t think all the other England batsmen have played Kuldeep well. The kind of weather that has been in England with the sun baking the pitches, Kuldeep will be very much in action and so will be the other Indian spinners.
Very good chance
“If the pitches remain flat and dry like the ones during the limited-over leg, India are in with a very good chance. But if it’s a green top, obviously, the England seamers will come into the play,” the legend said.
He did agree that missing Bhuvneshwar Kumar during the first three Tests along with Jasprit Bumrah for the opening game in Birmingham “will be a setback” for India.
“Bhuvi’s injury (stiff back) is a real setback for India. I was expecting a lot from him. He has, over the years, performed at a level that you expect a certain kind of performance from him. With his ability to swing the ball, he was going to be very critical to India’s scheme of things during the Test series.
Bhuvi as a batsman
“And let’s not forget those runs that Bhuvi scored in England during the last series (2014). He is a decent enough batsman who could string those partnerships at the back end of the innings. But then, I believe that we still have a lot of quality in our pace department (Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur).
About Bumrah, Tendulkar felt that he was missed more during the ODI series.
“Bumrah was certainly missed by India in the ODI series during those crucial death overs where he has been a champion bowler. He has started off well in Test cricket and this series is a wonderful opportunity for him. But he is expected to comeback during second Test. So I am hoping for the best,” Tendulkar said.
