Bowled like left-armed ShanWarne: Vaughan praises Kuldeep after remarkable spell

The left-arm Chinaman bowler claimed the prized wickets of opener Zak Crawly while he was going well, skipper Ben Stokes, Tom Hartley, and Ollie Robinson.

Ranchi: Former England skipper Michael Vaughan lauded star India spinner Kuldeep Yadav, calling him “left-armed Shane Warne” after his outstanding effort with the ball on the third day of the ongoing fourth Test at JSCA International Stadium Complex on Sunday.

Demonstrating his full repertoire and tying the Englishman in knots on a helpful surface, Kuldeep picked up four wickets in a spell of 15 overs during which he conceded just 22 runs.

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The left-arm Chinaman bowler claimed the prized wickets of opener Zak Crawly while he was going well, skipper Ben Stokes, Tom Hartley, and Ollie Robinson.

It was largely riding on his effort with the ball that England wound up for less than 150, giving England a fairly comfortable target of 192 runs. With the bat, too, Kuldeep produced a priceless knock of 28 runs off 131 balls, adding a crucial 76 runs with wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel (90) at a time when the hosts were staring down the barrel. Their partnership helped India go past 300 runs in their first innings, reducing England’s first-innings lead to just 46 runs.

Taking to his X handle, Vaughan heaped praise on Kuldeep, posting, “The best compliment I can give @imkuldeep18. Today he bowled like a left-armed Shane Warne. #INDvENG.”

In three matches of the series so far, Kuldeep has taken 12 wickets at an average of 22.58 while contributing 67 runs with the willow across five innings.

Meanwhile, India ended play on Day 3 at 40/0, chasing 192 to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match Test series.

At the close of play, skipper Rohit Sharma (24*) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (16*) were unbeaten at the crease, with the hosts needing a further 152 runs more to clinch the series. The visitors were shot out for just 145 in their second dig, with Zak Crawley (60 off 91 balls, with seven fours) and Jonny Bairstow (30 off 42 balls with three fours) offering some resistance.

Spinners took all the 10 wickets for India, with Ravichandran Ashwin (5/51) and Kuldeep Yadav (4/22) leading the bowling effort.