The 22-year-old wrist spinner has had the upper hand against Australian opener David Warner so far. David Warner happened to be Kuldeep’s first Test victim when he had the left-handed opener caught at slip to cut short a promising knock in Dharamsala six months ago.
Then, in the first ODI, Kuldeep again forced Warner into a false shot to have him caught behind by Dhoni.
“I guess he (Warner) feels a lot of pressure while batting against me and that makes me think I can get him out anytime,” Kuldeep said on Wednesday, the eve of the second ODI against Australia at the Eden Gardens.
The left-arm chinaman from Kanpur, who bagged a crucial 4/68 on his Test debut and then 2/33 in the rain-curtailed ODI in Chennai, is confident of continuing his good show in Kolkata. “There’s no pressure on me and I enjoy bowling to him (Warner). I have my plans in place and will try to get him out again,” Kuldeep said.
He rates skipper Steve Smith as the toughest nut to crack in the Aussie line-up. “I have seen he (Smith) reads me well in Tests. He knows how to steal singles and prefers to play more on the leg-side,” Kuldeep remarked.
Kuldeep and Chahal are getting an extended stint with the team in place of the regular spin duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja (Jadeja has been called up as a cover for the injured Axar Patel). “Yes there’s a lot of responsibility along with expectations. But it’s all about making most of this great experience as that will make it easier for us in future,” Kuldeep said.
