"That ball would have given him a lot of confidence" - Dinesh Karthik on Kuldeep Yadav outsmarting Shakib Al Hasan 

Dinesh Karthik has stated that Kuldeep Yadav's ball to dismiss Shakib Al Hasan on Day 2 (Thursday, December 15) of the ongoing first Test between India and Bangladesh would have boosted the spinner's confidence.

During a discussion on Cricbuzz, Karthik pointed out how Shakib, despite being a good player of spin, failed to read Kuldeep's delivery. He noted that claiming a big wicket early in his spell was a major factor in the wrist spinner dominating the day with his inspired bowling exploits.

Karthik explained:

"For me, the key moment was the second ball that he bowled to Shakib Al Hasan, somebody who's a very good player of spin. He knows how to tackle a spinner. He stepped out but the ball just dipped a little bit in front, and there was just enough turn for him to play the wrong shot.

"That ball would have given him a lot of confidence. That was the start of his spell, and from thereon you could see him in full flow. He will be a good weapon to have in the forthcoming series against Australia.

Kuldeep also made a valuable contribution with the bat for India, chipping in with a 40-run knock. Karthik suggested that the left-hander was able to assess the wicket well before he came to a bowl thanks to the time he spent at the crease while batting.

The Indian keeper-batter elaborated:

"When you spend time at the wicket, you generally figure out what the wicket is doing, whether it is turning, or keeping low, and also what kind of ball you find hard to face. You try to replicate that while bowling. The key to his bowling was that they weren't able to read which way it was going to turn.

"You could see the battle between Nurul Hasan and him, where he literally got him out twice or thrice in that spell. A wrist spinner coming in and dominating a day's proceedings is not something that's happened for some time now in Indian cricket and this was very, very good to watch."

Playing his first Test match in more than 22 months, Kuldeep shone with the ball, bamboozling the Bangladeshi batters with his crafty bowling. The talented spinner made it tough for the opposition, turning the ball both ways on a placid Chattogram wicket.

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"He fancies himself as a batter" - Dinesh Karthik on Kuldeep Yadav's gutsy knock

Dinesh Karthik also heaped praise on Kuldeep Yadav for contributing significantly with the bat for India at a crucial juncture. The veteran cricketer was impressed with the lower-order batter's approach and technique.

The 37-year-old highlighted how Kuldeep has also played in the top order for his state Uttar Pradesh in the past. He mentioned that the player has the ability to establish himself as a reliable batting option, especially in the longer format.

Karthik added:

"When he was younger, he used to bat in the top order for Uttar Pradesh, and he fancies himself as a batter. What he lacks is a lot of power, which is why he is not as effective in white-ball cricket.

"But when it comes to red-ball cricket, he has a very decent technique. He gets behind the line of the ball and being a spinner, you are generally aware of how to play spin pretty well. His use of sweeps and reverse sweeps was very good."

Kuldeep stitched together a stunning 87-run partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin for the eighth wicket, helping India post an impressive total of 404. The visitors are in a commanding position at stumps on Day 2 with Bangladesh reeling at 133/8 and still trailing by 271 runs.