Kuldeep gives UP the edge versus Vidarbha
LUCKNOW, Jan. 6 -- Former champions Uttar Pradesh will field Kuldeep Yadav for the wrist spinner's second game in the Group B leaders' crucial penultimate league match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Vidarbha at Rajkot on Tuesday.
Uttar Pradesh have won all five games in the seven-team group so far to aggregate 20 points. But their knockout spot is not cemented as Vidarbha and Bengal with 16 points each are also in contention.
Kuldeep, who has been a vital cog in Uttar Pradesh's bowling - he has 214 wickets at an economy of 4.95 in List A cricket - will be playing in just his second match in this domestic season before joining the India squad for the three-match ODI home series against New Zealand, starting on January 11.
"Kuldeep is playing against Vidarbha, and will see later if he is available for the last league match against Bengal on Thursday," a team official said on Monday. "This is one of the best shows of Uttar Pradesh in the last few years and Kuldeep's presence would be a big plus against Vidarbha," he said.
Kuldeep took 2/48 as UP skipper Rinku Singh used six spinners, including two part-timers, in the 58-run win over Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. Though young leg spinner Zeeshan Ansari finished with 3/49 - he tops the bowling chart for UP with 17 wickets in five matches - it was Kuldeep who helped build pressure and removed Rydham Sharma (15) and Auqib Nabi (30) at crucial junctures.
Against Vidarbha on Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh will again have the services of spin bowling all-rounders Vipraj Nigam (10 wkts) and Prashant Veer (7 wkts, 59 runs), but they will mostly rely on in-form batters in Rinku (314 runs), Aryan Juyal (412 runs), Dhruv Jurel (379 runs), Sameer Rizvi (125 runs) and Priyam Garg (110 runs).
Vidarbha too have done well in the league with four wins in a row after losing the opener to Bengal by three wickets. Another team in contention for the knockout berth, Bengal will also be hoping for a win against Hyderabad on Tuesday....
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