Kuldeep Yadav's art of left-arm wrist spin is subtle. It's not endearingly garish as it was in the world of Shane Warne or Abdul Qadir. His magic is well-concealed by layers of plainness and courage. A rewind to India's Champions Trophy match against Pakistan last Sunday will validate that impression. Pakistan still had some life in their innings at 200 for five with eight overs to spare, and an in-form Salman Agha was at the crease with Khushdil Shah. Skipper Rohit Sharma pressed Kuldeep into service. Immediately, Agha saw a scoring opportunity but his shimmy at Kuldeep's stock delivery ended in the hands of Ravindra Jadeja.
In the very next ball, Kuldeep slid in a fast one to trap Shaheen Shah Afridi in front for a first-ball duck, and Pakistan were reduced to 200 for seven.
It's this variety and quick assessment of batters that make Kuldeep a real threat at any stage of the match, now even at the final 10 overs.
"There might be some tenderness as he is coming off an injury lay-off. But he has done well so far. There is the right amount of hip pivot and body weight behind his delivery arm, and it has kept him accurate, very rare for a wrist spinner," a former India spinner told PTI.
That accuracy has made his captains toss the ball to him even in the death overs, as he had done against Pakistan in Dubai.
In fact, ESPNCricinfo statistics show that Kuldeep has taken 25 wickets in 43 innings when he bowled between overs 40 and 45 since 2015, the point when five fielders were allowed in the outfield in the final 10 overs.
In terms of wickets taken in the 40-45 overs phase, those numbers place him behind fellow wrist-spinners Rashid Khan (36) and Adam Zampa (29), while on par with England leg-spinner Adil Rashid (25).
Kuldeep said he relished the challenge of bowling at death overs, a task that requires bravery and variety in equal measure in this age of range-hitting.
"I was able to become the first choice in bowling the last 10 overs. Even the captain felt that it's very difficult to hit spinners when you have variations. The wicket (in Dubai) was slow, and it was good for me. I was trying to mix with the pace and wrong ones or top-spin," he said.
Then he entered into the specifics of his modus operandi, describing the dismissals of Agha and Afridi off successive balls in the 43rd over. He sounded so casual but it revealed the deep thought that goes behind his craft.
"The first wicket of Salman was a normal chinaman. It was slow, but I varied the pace. Obviously, the second wicket (Afridi) was a first-ball swing. I was targeting the wicket. I thought it was a better option to hit the wrong one.
"So, I have to think about which delivery I can hit. And the incoming deliveries are difficult if it's a slow track. So, that was my plan," he explained.
But not so long ago, the debate was surrounding his place in the eleven because the inclusion of Varun Chakravarthy was seen as a confirmation of the latter being the third spinner behind Jadeja and Axar Patel during the ICC showpiece.
It was not an entirely misplaced thought because of the form he showed in the series against England.
"With due respect to Varun, who started such talks? If Kuldeep is fit and in form, then he should be your first, second or third spinner, no doubt about it," the former India spinner said.
"Just look at his record in white ball cricket, it's just amazing. He can bowl at any stage of the match and do duties of cutting run-flow or getting that breakthrough." Kuldeep had bowled nine overs against Pakistan and conceded just three fours while operating from the first Power Play segment through the business end of the innings till the 45th over.
It's fascinating to see a wrist spinner becoming India's go-to death bowler in white ball formats when they have Mohammed Shami or a fine yorker bowler like Arshdeep Singh, who is yet to appear in the tournament, at their disposal. Kuldeep is not following any trend, but is a trend now.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)