India, Nov. 22 -- In a format often dictated by quirks of captains, coaches and curators, where the do's and don'ts of pitch preparation are put under the scanner and trends predicted even before the first ball is bowled, Kuldeep Yadav's left-arm wristspin can be liberating.

The pitch isn't exactly taken out of the equation by his wristiness, but the dependence on the surface is definitely reduced greatly. That's what made Yadav such an asset on a seaming Dharamsala pitch against Australia on his debut and then against England last year, as well as in Delhi last month on a slow track where the match barely moved. He doesn't rely on turn, but it helps if the pitch provides some.

The track at Guwahati definitely had some, along with a nic...