India's Assistant Coach Showers Huge Praise On Kuldeep Yadav For His Brilliant Performance In Guwahati, Says, 'He Is India's...'

IND vs SA 2nd Test: The second Test between India and South Africa has been held on a pitch that didn't help the bowlers much, but Kuldeep's three-fer on the first day made sure that the hosts were in a commanding position. On a surface that looked flat for a long time and helped the visitors score runs, Kuldeep had become the host's brilliant weapon as he ended important partnerships and stopped the visitors' scoring rate.

In the post-match press conference, Ryan Ten Doeschate, who is India's assistant coach, emphasised Kuldeep's significance in pitches that aren't ideal for a spinner and called him the team's X-factor.

“He picked up three wickets on that surface on day one. We know Kuldeep’s strike rate is phenomenal, he’s a wicket-taker, and that’s why we’re picking him. I thought everyone bowled well, but the fact that he gets overspin, and with the red soil and a little more pace in the wicket, he was slightly more effective in the conditions,” he told reporters in the post-match press conference.

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“Later on, the finger spinners are going to come into it. But in terms of strategy and how we wanted to set out the first day, it’s a real bonus for him to pick up three wickets and give us a foothold in the game,” he added.

His efforts were seen in the way he took those wickets. He first dismissed opener Ryan Rickelton, who had scored 35 runs, and gave the team a flying start. Kuldeep then took the wickets of Tristan Stubbs, who fell short of a well-deserved fifty as he tried to take the game away from India. His third dismissal was Wiaan Mulder, who got out after scoring 13 runs as they were in the driver's seat in the last session.

The Proteas were 247/6 at stumps, and this score might have been more if Kuldeep hadn't taken those wickets. As the Proteas batters came into bat, none of them were able to convert their starts into a big score owing to the Indian bowlers' ability to take wickets at regular intervals.

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As the game will be well balanced on Day 2, all eyes will once again be on Kuldeep as the host will try to skittle the visitors out as soon as possible and take a first innings lead on a pitch which will stay the same for the batters.