Kuldeep Must Bowl All Four Overs Per Match Regardless of the Circumstances

During the last match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders, there were many questions regarding DC captain Axar Patel's bowling strategy. The most unexpected decision was not using Kuldeep Yadav for his full quota of four overs. Kuldeep is India's number one wristspinner and has been in terrific form. Though he bowled only three overs in the game that Delhi lost by 14 runs. The other surprise was in holding him back till the 11th over as well. By then KKR had already scored 79 runs during the powerplay and had a good foundation that led them to score a total of 204 which proved to be a winning score.

Former West Indies captain Daren Ganga opined after the match that Kuldeep needs to bowl all four overs irrespective of his day. Ganga felt that even if Kuldeep did not pick up a wicket in the initial part of the innings, he would have put pressure on the opposition and perhaps restrained KKR's run rate. He emphasized that deploying Kuldeep in the powerplay would have been a wise gamble particularly when aggressive hitters such as Sunil Narine and Rahmanullah Gurbaz were hammering the bowlers.

Ganga noted that contemporary teams do not like deploying wristspinners in the powerplay but actually they can prove to be an early wicket-taking key. If the pace bowlers of a team are finding it difficult to breach partnerships, then it is reasonable to experiment with a spinner such as Kuldeep who possesses the ability to mislead batters and reverse the course of the game. Kuldeep's variations such as the googly and the dip have become more potent in recent times and he's not shy to employ those even against left-handers which increases his threat.

Kuldeep replaced the sixth bowler and bowled the 11th 13th and 15th overs without conceding a wicket but conceded 27 runs. But by then the damage was already done by the KKR batters and the momentum was in their hand. Wasim Jaffer explained that it was peculiar not to utilize Kuldeep sooner particularly when DC needed a breakthrough. Ambati Rayudu also pointed out that Kuldeep has been phenomenal against left-handers and might have been a real threat to Narine if he had been introduced earlier.

Rayudu explained how Kuldeep now gets more dip in his deliveries and bowls more confidently especially his googly which has brought him many wickets recently. He felt that with KKR’s batters dominating from the start DC should have introduced spin early to slow the pace and break the rhythm.

It wasn’t just Kuldeep who was underused. Axar Patel himself did not come into bowl during the powerplay even though he had been effective during that period in DC's last game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. There he removed two left-handed batsmen demonstrating that he can prove effective at the top of the innings. Rayudu said that even a single over from Axar during the powerplay would have made a difference by altering the tempo and presenting the batters with something new to worry about.

Axar has developed as a bowler over time. His under-cutters and accuracy make it difficult for batters to score big runs off him. He bowls well at the correct length and utilizes his height effectively. Jaffer reminded everyone that Axar had dismissed two left-handers in the last game and should have backed himself again. He felt that captains at times get too involved in match-ups and overlook their own capabilities.

Ganga concurred and stated that a captain at times has to take aggressive decisions and have faith in himself and the team. He admitted that it could be due to the fact that they got a fast bowler like Dushmantha Chameera into the team but still believed more initiative was called for. Chameera was probably selected because he can bowl at the beginning and end of the innings but even then captains need to remain flexible and adapt to how the game is unfolding.

Ganga finished off by stating that too much attention to match-ups is a negative thing and the captains should pay attention to the larger picture. A quality bowler might bowl out a batter even when statistics may prove them wrong. It's a matter of reading the moment and striking at the correct time. Getting Kuldeep to be utilized at the right moment and having more faith in himself might have done the trick for Axar and Delhi.