Kuldeep Yadav Is Ready To Play Test Cricket For India, Says Mentor Brad Hogg

Young Indian left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has taken the cricketing fraternity by storm since his debut with his innovative and deadly bowling. While Yadav has played 20 One-day Internationals (ODIs) and 8 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), he has only featured in just two Test matches for India. Keeping the statistics in mind, his mentor, former Australian chinaman bowler Brad Hogg, has said that the young India spinner is ready to feature in Tests and should be given an opportunity to play the longest format of the game. Hogg, who played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), has spent a lot of time with the bowler and is not shy to say that Yadav is a fantastic human being.

With India set to tour England in July, the veteran Australian bowler believes that Yadav is ready to make his place in the Indian Test set-up.

"Oh, he is ready. A quality wrist spinner always does well against England. I know it's hard on Ashwin and Jadeja, and if India can play Ashwin as the allrounder and squeeze in Kuldeep, it would be great. And if they need just one spinner, I think he is ready for it. He is not a T20 and ODI specialist, he is the real deal. Throw him in the Tests, I say!" The Indian Express quoted Brad Hogg as saying.

Yadav made his Test debut against Australia in Dharamsala in March 2017, where he ended the match with figures of four for 91.

He played his second and last Test against Sri Lanka in August 2017 and had ended the match with figures of five for 96.

Hogg, talking about how laborious Yadav is and how matured he has become with time, said, "When I met him four years ago, I felt he was a well-rounded young man. He worked bloody hard, listened a lot, asked questions; immediately you knew that here is a guy who is serious about his career.

"He has the talent, he has the knack technically, tactically and mentally. He is very switched on. He knows where he wants to go. He knows his strengths, he knows his weaknesses, and he knows what areas he wants to work on," Hogg further added.

India is set to tour Australia after England and Hogg believes Yadav's presence in the India Test side will do wonders for the visitors.

"In Australia, you need someone with a lot of over spin, to go with the ability to rip it side-ways too, and that's the reason behind Nathan Lyon's success here. Kuldeep can do it," Hogg remarked.