Key Points

With Ravichandran Ashwin retiring from Tests, it means Kuldeep in all likelihood will be the spin-bowling partner alongside Jadeja. India also had off-spin all-rounder Washington Sundar in the spin bowling department on their tour of England, starting on June 20 in Leeds.

“Playing alongside Jadeja is such a great honour for me. Obviously, Jadeja and Ashwin have been brilliant from last few years. When I made my (Test) debut in India, they helped me a lot. Even now, I have been having a lot of chat about how to bowl certain English batters, considering the way they are batting at the moment.”

“I am actually spending a lot of time with him. Not only on the field, but also outside as well. It actually helped me a lot in terms of tactics-wise, and the field placement which we have been talking about. He has given some clues as well.”

“He is very important to me as a spinner. I have learnt a lot from him. Obviously, I do miss Ash (Ashwin) bhai. But I was lucky to have him in my team. When I started playing cricket with Jaddu bhai, we played together. I connect with Jaddu bhai as a spin partner, which I like and enjoy it a lot,” said Kuldeep to reporters on the sidelines of day three of intra-squad practice game in Beckenham.

Kuldeep had played just one Test in England back in 2018 at Lord’s, where he conceded 44 runs in nine overs and scored a pair as a batter as India lost the match. But this time, with lots of improvements in speed, lengths and turnaround in bowling mindset, Kuldeep is primed to trouble England batters.

“Excitement is always there when you play abroad as a spinner. It is important to know what mindset you are going with. I have always had an attacking mindset. I always keep that in mind. I hope that the wickets are good.”

“If you look at the conditions, there is a lot of sun blazing in last few days. If the wickets are good, the spinners can get help. I don't worry much about the conditions. But if you get a helpful wicket, it feels good to bowl,” he added.

Asked about how the wickets have behaved for spinners so far at Beckenham, Kuldeep revealed, “In terms of spinners, the wickets are looking good. The practice match wicket was good for batting. On the first day, there was a little moisture in the wicket, so seamers got a little help. But as the game progressed, I felt that the ball is bouncing in this wicket for spinners.”

“On the first day, I didn't see much turn when I put the ball in the first spell. But today is day three and if I put the ball there, we will know how the wicket is. But all the practice sessions I have done, the ball is turning a little. I am sure that it will be better in the game if we have a practice match like this.”

Kuldeep signed off by saying the bowlers are putting in hard yards in practice to get used to workload of bowling in Tests. “The volume of bowling overs is very important. You will see that we have played T20 cricket for the last 4-5 months. Now we are going to play in a Test format and so, I feel that the volume is very important.”

“All bowlers are told to bowl as many overs as possible. Fast bowlers are told to bowl at least 15-20 overs, so that our build-up for the test match is complete. The same goes for spinners - the more we do bowling, the better it is.”

- IANS