Kul the Conqueror: Kuldeep Yadav’s spell reminds why he’s one of India’s rare bowling gems

Kuldeep Yadav has played only 14 Test matches (Delhi Test against West Indies being his 15th) since he made his debut eight years ago. That is supremely unfortunate and while it may look unfair, it was also largely unavoidable, with the pair of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in harness all that time.

Kuldeep picked up his fifth five-wicket haul, on a pitch that was good enough to bat on if you applied yourself and yet offered just enough to keep the slow bowlers in the game. And Kuldeep is the most ideally suited slow bowler when the ask is to extract the most out of small margins.

Bowling at an ideal pace and not varying his line drastically when bowling the leg break or the wrong ‘un, Kuldeep threatened both edges of the bat. When the ball was hard he was strong enough in his action and in rhythm to get a bit of extra bounce, especially with the ball that went straight on.

Kuldeep’s wickets illustrate how he designed each batsman’s downfall and put it in practice. Shai Hope got one that drifted just enough to draw him down the wrong line, defeating the stroke and taking off stump. Tevin Imlach got the variation that turned sharply and Justin Greaves reverse swept a ball that was pitched bang in line and headed straight for middle stump.

It was only fitting that he capped off his spell with a fifth wicket, pinning Jayden Seales in front of the stumps. West Indies had kept India on the field for 81.5 overs, but Shubman Gill decided that he would enforce the follow on.

A case could have been made for India to bat once more, just to allow the pitch to break a bit more. But with the bounce being so low it was worth pressing on with the ball. This had the additional advantage of allowing Gill to take a look at how this attack would fare if pushed.

As it turned out, the West Indies put up their best performance of the series. To begin with, it appeared to be a familiar story, when Tagenarine Chanderpaul attempted to drag a ball from outside off in a pull shot that he was late on. The ball went up and hung in the air but it took a smart bit of fielding — anticipation, athleticism and skill — from Gill to complete the catch.

Alick Athanaze got a high quality delivery from Washington Sundar the pace on the ball and the grip off the pitch combining perfectly to disturb the stumps. At 35 for 2, the scene appeared all too familiar.

And then, John Campbell and Shai Hope found a way. Perhaps these two top order batsmen were conscious of the resistance put up in the first innings by the lower order. Wherever the inspiration came from, it was much needed.

Campbell continued to play around his front pad, but he ensured he got it out of the line of the stumps against the spinners, and Hope had altered his stance to cover the line of the stumps more efficiently.

The ones and twos came at an easier clip and when the bowlers were under pressure the batsmen came into their own, playing more naturally and actually enjoying their time out in the middle. The half-centuries the pair made brought parity to this Test match.

For the first time, India were made to work for every little advantage they wanted. For the first time, the bowlers could not just turn up ball after ball and control the tempo of the game,. For the first time, Gill had to cycle through different sets of plans since no single one bore fruit immediately.

India were still well ahead of the game when the third day’s play ended. West Indies, on 173 for 2, still trail by 97. The first landmark that West Indies need to hit is Campbell’s maiden Test hundred. Individual scores can never take pre-eminence in team sport, but when a team is looking to life itself, as West Indies is, even a simple thing like this can be just the reaffirmation that was needed.

India’s bowlers will begin the fourth day knowing that they do not need to worry, forget about panic, just yet. But, they will be tested, and how they respond will be keenly watched by captain, coach and beyond.