'Kuldeep Yadav played liked he was protecting himself', says former Indian spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan

Former cricketer Laxman Sivaramakrishnan said that the leg-spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, bowled defensively as it was his comeback match after an injury and wanted to retain his place in the playing XI.

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Kuldeep went wicketless in the first ODI against Zimbabwe. Although he was unfortunate not to pick up a wicket following a controversial third umpire LBW decision, Kuldeep didn’t look threatening enough to effect a dismissal.

While talking about Yadav in ‘School of Cricket’ on Sony SIX, Sivaramakrishnan said, “He was making a comeback, he wanted to protect himself. He wanted to play all three matches. So he just bowled a tidy spell. But I just hope he sticks to one line, whether he bowls a googly or leg breaks. Get the batsman by surprise."

The former India player also highlighted that how much a wicketkeeper matters for a bowler. He touched upon how Yadav’s bowling was different with MS Dhoni as a wicketkeeper.

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He said, “Dhoni was brilliant. A keeper would make a lot of difference. If the batsman was playing on the backfoot, a wicketkeeper would ask the bowler to bowl a lot fuller. Kuldeep was slower through his air, and the batsman was playing on the backfoot, so he has got to make the batsman drive. Because the ball is coming slowly, it won’t be easy to drive."

“Wicketkeeper would be an ideal person to tell that. He should also be able to read the batsman. He can advice the bowler accordingly. Dhoni was not only a good reader of the game, he was also a good reader of the batsman. He would advice Kuldeep and Chahal on what to bowl," added Sivaramakrishnan.