Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Kuldeep Yadav appeals against Essex today.
Kuldeep Yadav reflected on a strong Yorkshire performance with bat and ball against Essex on day two at Headingley and said: “I think we had a perfect day.”
Yorkshire started the day on 241-6 in their first innings, advancing to 390 all out.
They then restricted Essex to 137-7 in reply and are well on course for victory at the midway point in this Rothesay County Championship fixture.
Kuldeep, alongside Dom Bess, was to the fore. He contributed 36 and three wickets, while Bess bettered with 80 not out and three wickets. The pair shared 83 for the eighth wicket either side of lunch to really pile the pressure on the visitors.
Kuldeep said: “Firstly, I thought it was a brilliant partnership with Bessy. Adding 80 for the eighth wicket, that gave us a great platform to just go out there and bowl.
“I started off and my first couple of balls were really good, and then I tried to mix it up with my variations.
“I thought the ball which I bowled to Walter was a very good one, slid on and a bit quicker through the air. Then Westley’s ball was my ball of the day.
“I thought Bessy bowled really well from the other end as well, and even the fast bowlers. Cliffy started really well and then Whitey and George bowled a number of sets really well.
“Getting a wicket in every five or six overs was very important to be in the game, and I think we had a perfect day.”
Kuldeep was asked about the possibility of the follow-on, which Essex are 104 runs short of: “I don’t know, we haven’t had a chat about follow-on yet. Hopefully we will see how it goes tomorrow,” he said.
He was also asked about the pitch, how he enjoyed bowling on it and how it compares to some of the spin-friendly pitches he encounters back home in India.
He added:” It was a lovely wicket to bowl on because you don’t have to bowl quick in terms of pace because the wicket already has pace in it.
“After pitching, you can see there is a bit of quickness and you just have to spin the ball and put a lot of revs on it. Ultimately, that was the key.
“If you compare it to Indian conditions, it’s totally different. Back home when you bowl, you will get to see a lot of spin, but the wickets are on the slower side and the batsmen can adjust sometimes.
“Here, because of the quickness, if they go back foot, they get trapped and probably they have to play front foot. That’s where you have a better chance of getting them caught behind or slip or maybe short-leg.”
