Kuldeep Yadav is one of the new crop of cricketers who have added new dimensions to the sport in India. A left-arm chinaman bowler is a rarity to start with and it takes a lot of skill to be successful in the difficult art. But Yadav too will be challenged when Kolkata Knight Riders begin their IPL 2020 campaign against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday, especially if he has to bowl to Kieron Pollard. One more from that crop of giant West Indians who can hit the ball far, Pollard is a threat for any bowing attack, not least a wrist spinner. That is what makes this a challenge for Yadav. That said, the bowler has the skill to snare Pollard, so this is a good challenge.
Pollard has been synonymous with the Mumbai Indians successes. The West Indies star has 2773 runs from 149 matches and has hit an insane number of boundaries - 182 fours and 177 sixes - so he is the real deal.
What may work in Yadav's favour however is that the grounds in the UAE are bigger than the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the venue of most of Pollard's successes. Even now, many batsmen have played big shots and seen them land short in the UAE.
So that is the opening that Yadav may need. With a little guile and luck this face-off may not be the cakewalk it looks like on paper