New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS) Kuldeep Yadav’s mastery of angles and drift came into full view on day three of the second and final Test against the West Indies, as the left-arm wrist spinner turned the match on its head with his fifth five-wicket haul to bowl out the visitors for 248 and give India a huge 270-run lead.

2nd Test: Kuldeep has element of danger compared to finger spinners, says ten Doeschate

New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS) Kuldeep Yadav’s mastery of angles and drift came into full view on day three of the second and final Test against the West Indies, as the left-arm wrist spinner turned the match on its head with his fifth five-wicket haul to bowl out the visitors for 248 and give India a huge 270-run lead.

Though the fightback from John Campbell and Shai Hope would be another highlight of the day, Kuldeep’s stunning performance and his mastery of angles and variations are hard to overlook. After bowling all 12 of his overs from the South End on Saturday – returning 1-46 at an economy of 3.8 – Kuldeep operated exclusively from the North End on Sunday.

As per statistics from Cricket-21, the switch of the ends worked well as Kuldeep delivered a spell of relentless control and guile: four wickets coming at just 1.8 runs per over. Clearly, the change in end brought with it a change in rhythm. From the North End, Kuldeep extracted sharper drift and more deceptive dip, using the slantish slope to his advantage and keeping stumps in play all the time.

Ryan ten Doeschate, India’s assistant coach, highlighted Kuldeep’s unique skill set and the tactical edge he brings to the bowling attack alongside finger spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.

“The difference with Kuldeep is he’s a mystery spinner, and he’s not the easiest to pick. So, I think they’re falling to him a little bit more. He has an element of danger compared to the finger spinners,” ten Doeschate said to reporters after day three’s play at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday.

He added that Kuldeep’s effectiveness stems from unfamiliarity among opposition batters and the fine margins that define success. “You can see how small the margins are, and how he got the wickets in the first innings. It’s just about getting an edge and not getting all the wickets. But I certainly think the fact that a lot of these guys wouldn’t have faced a lot of it from Kuldeep and still makes him a little bit more effective than the other two.”

Kuldeep’s spell not only broke the West Indies’ resistance but also etched his name deeper into the record books. With his fifth five-wicket haul in just 27 Test innings, Kuldeep now holds the record for the most five-fors by a left-arm wrist spinner in Test history.

He surpasses South Africa’s Paul Adams, who managed four in 76 innings, and stands well clear of Chuck Fleetwood-Smith and Lakshan Sandakan, who each claimed two five-fors.

Reflecting on Kuldeep’s limited opportunities in the Test setup, especially after being benched throughout the England tour, ten Doeschate acknowledged the difficulty of balancing team composition.

“It’s very difficult. I just cast my mind back to all the discussions around teams and how we try to fit them in. But one thing, I think we got the wickets pretty spot on in England. It was a very high scoring Tests. So, you’re always trying to balance playing the batting all-rounder when you play three guys at the end who don’t really bat.”

He admitted Kuldeep’s performance in New Delhi could prompt a rethink in future overseas selections. “But I guess he’s shown, even on an unresponsive wicket, it does maybe make you think, well, what if it’s a good batting in Manchester or what if it’s a good batting in Headingley? But those are calls you have to make in real time, and we’re always trying to figure out what’s best.”

“He’s been a great player and has been brilliant in white-ball. But I think he’s done himself some favours. Looking forward, if we do have to make the brave call on where we want to win Test matches, and then we need to go about a lot and let the people see how Kuldeep’s bowling shapes in the next two days.”

Kuldeep’s 5-82 coming in 26.5 overs helped India bowl out West Indies for 248 and enforce the follow-on, but ten Doeschate felt the final session could have looked different with a bit more luck, especially on Sundar’s side.

“But also, I don’t think we’re a million miles off the top. I mean, not to point fingers at the umpire at all. But they’re three very close decisions there. If you give even two of those, it looks like a much better day for us. But Kuldeep put the ball into the right areas and spun it both ways.”

In a format where left-arm wrist spin remains a rare art, Kuldeep’s rise is both heartwarming and stylistic for a bowler who continues to redefine the possibilities of his craft with the red-ball.

–IANS

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