Ready to bowl on any surface, says Kuldeep Yadav

New Delhi: India’s rising star, spinner Kuldeep Yadav, believes bowling on concrete has made him battle-ready for any surface that a rival cricket power can lay out for him. Kuldeep, who claimed a hat-trick in his country’s triumphant one-day series against Australia, has become a household name at 22 and with just two Tests and 11 one-day internationals to his name.

He played a big part in India’s 4-1 win over Australia, but many believe the real test will come in tours of South Africa and England next year. Ahead of India’s series against New Zealand, starting Sunday, Kuldeep said in an interview that his varied left-arm wrist spin will be a weapon on any track.

“It doesn’t matter to me where I am playing because since my childhood I have bowled on cemented wickets. So if you can turn the ball on concrete then you can spin it anywhere,” Kuldeep said.

“If you have skill, good variation and are beating the batsmen in the air then you can find success anywhere,” added Kuldeep, who hails from the northern city of Kanpur.

Kuldeep started as a pace bowler but at the age of nine he switched to wrist spin at his coach’s insistence. “I started my career in 2004 as a fast bowler. After practising for a few months my coach advised me to switch to spin.

“I did not like it at the start, but the first ball I bowled was wrist spin and I had no idea what it was. So, he must have thought I have a talent and he worked on it. Initially it was tough but when I got down to it, the hard work paid off.”