Farhaan Behardien says that the Proteas have figured out a plan to deal with Kuldeep Yadav.
Kuldeep missed the last T20 against South Africa. The chinaman hassled the Proteas in the ODI series and was the leading wicketkeeper (in the ODI series) with 17 scalps.
The Proteas took advantage of Kuldeep’s absence, smashing Yuzvendra Chahal for 64 runs.
‘Yes, we have struggled against Kuldeep but he was in good form, took his chances and we gave away a few soft wickets to him as well,’ said Behardien. ‘With regards to the battle across the board, he took the ascendancy in that battle with good form.
‘I’m not sure if we struggled to pick him. I think his pace has just been good. He bowled a bit slower when not a lot of our bowlers in the country bowl that slow.
‘Normally our bowlers play in the Highveld and are touring in Johannesburg where the wickets are quite good. We bowl at a flatter pace with not a lot of res on the ball. He gained ascendancy early on and it was tough for us to get that ascendancy back.’
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Behardien, however, is confident the Proteas have solved the Kuldeep riddle and will be ready to face him if he is fit for Saturday’s clash.
‘I believe 100% that we’ve seen what he can offer. Our batsmen have a different mindset going into the T20 competition coming in with some form – Heinrich [Klaasen], Reeza [Hendricks], JP [Duminy] – I have no doubt that if he were to play, we will deal with him accordingly.
‘It’s tough. The one day when Kuldeep was bowling here from the Wynberg end, the sun was setting over the mountain and if you picking it out the hand you can’t see the seam on the ball because the glare is in your face. That day it was a bit tough.
‘Like I said, he had ascendancy bowling a slower pace. He does show a scrambled seam when bowling a googly and when he bowls his leg spin, he bowls with the seam up. That’s some of the hints we’ve taken from video footage, watching the games and from speaking to batsmen who have to face him. In the pink day, we played him very well.’
