IND vs ENG 2025: Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has urged Kuldeep Yadav to learn how to vary his pace from veteran England spinner Adil Rashid instead of relying on the flatter deliveries. The left-arm wrist spinner looked in better rhythm after coming in for the injured Varun Chakravarthy in the third ODI against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday (February 12).
IND vs ENG 2025: Kuldeep Yadav finished with figures of 1-38 off eight overs, where he dismissed Tom Banton with a well-disguised googly. The spinner bowled in tandem with Axar Patel in the middle overs to dismantle England’s 357-run-chase attempt, as the hosts won by 142 runs. He also played the first ODI in Nagpur, his figures reading 1-53 off 9.4 overs.
IND vs ENG 2025: Sanjay Manjrekar noted how Kuldeep Yadav had increased his pace as opposed to his early days, to match the demands of the team.
“Kuldeep Yadav worries me a little, as in the speed with which he bowls at. There was so much focus and criticism as to how slow he is. But the criticism was of the ball coming slow off the pitch, not about in the air. That is where he has made a compromise, and you understand why he had to get quick,” Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo after the third ODI.
“It’s almost like if he had to play for India, he had to bowl quicker. But what’s happening now is that only bowling quick and flat. His real greatness is the deception and the turn. The quicker you bowl, the less you are going to achieve that, so you become more pitch dependent,” he added.
Kuldeep Yadav played in the Ranji Trophy ahead of the England series. Playing for Uttar Pradesh, he finished with figures of 3-124 in the drawn contest against Madhya Pradesh in Indore.
IND vs ENG 2025: “Kuldeep could take a leaf out of Adil Rashid’s book” – Sanjay Manjrekar
Right from the T20I series, the veteran had been testing the Indian batters with his masterful pace variations. He managed to get the better of the opposition often with his ability to flight the ball.
“In comparison, I thought Adil Rashid had a great series because he was bowling to a quality Indian batting line-up. The wickets in this match, he has gone through the defence of good players. If you look at Adil Rashid’s speed along with the variations, it has oscillated from the mid 70s to late 80s, and even 90 kmph at times,” Manjrekar opined in the same interveiw.
“Kuldeep Yadav, on the other hand, has just remained in the 80s, and more in the high 80s. So, maybe Kuldeep could take a leaf out of Adil Rashid’s book,” he concluded.
IND vs ENG 2025: Kuldeep Yadav is one of the five spinners included in the squad by the selectors for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.
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