Kuldeep Reveals Kevin Pietersen’s Advice For England Tour

India’s left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav had to sit out the first Test at Headingley, which India lost by five wickets. The pitch was flat for the most part, as India lost the game despite scoring 471 in the first innings. 

The Indian bowling looked toothless whenever the bowler wasn’t someone named Jasprit Bumrah, and as a result, they lost the game by five wickets as England chased 371 to win the game on day five. 

Since then, many experts, including former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar, have asked for Kuldeep’s inclusion in the Edgbaston Test. Based on an interview that the Kanpur-born gave to the Indian Express, it seems that he’s well prepared for the English challenge, and he was helped in his preparation by none other than former England batter Kevin Pietersen. 

“Kevin Pietersen was part of our team at DC. He gave me a lot of inputs for the England tour. He told me about fielding positions, pitches and the batsmen,” Kuldeep said on Pietersen’s advice to him before the tour.  

“We ran through their batting line up. He told me about the mindset needed in England. Pietersen said that generally, spinners come to England with a defensive mindset. They think that in England, fast bowlers will get wickets and they will be in a supporting role. He told me to take the field with an attacking mindset. If I get a game and bowl 15 to 20 overs, I have to always think about how to get the batsmen out.”

The wrist-spinner highlighted his hunger for picking wickets, and said that taking wickets has been his aim on this tour throughout. He believes in his skills of turning and drifting the ball, and mentioned how he succeeded against England in India on a flat Dharamshala surface by picking a fifer when the English last visited India.

“I don’t know anything other than bowling. If you don’t take wickets, you can’t justify yourself for playing in England,” the left-arm wrist spinner said. 

“If you don’t take wickets, I don’t think you deserve to play. But I know one thing, wherever one is playing, at home or in England. I have to get the revs on the ball and the drift and that will get me wickets.

“The pitches in that series (last England Test tour of India) were batting-friendly. The Test matches went for 4-5 days. England conditions are different but as a spinner, I believe that it won’t be that different. Besides, the way England bat, I think the spinners will be in the game.”

The second Test will be played at Edgbaston from July 2.