Vijay Yadav, the ambidextrous spinner for Kashi Rudras, highlighted the significance of the UPT20 League as a vital platform for cricketers in Uttar Pradesh and expressed his admiration for Indian stars Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Yadav, who has taken 12 wickets in 10 matches in the competition, stated that his development as an ambidextrous spinner emerged from the need to innovate in the context of high-scoring matches. He described the league as an important opportunity for players, noting that it is now in its fourth season and has served as a stepping stone to the Indian Premier League (IPL) for many participants.
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“UPT20 League is a very big platform for all the players. UPCA has organised this tournament so well. This is our 4th season, and many players have played in our IPL from the UPT20 League in the last 3 years. So it is a very big platform for everyone who has talent to come and express. Scouts also come from the IPL, so you get very good chances. If you do well, you will go to a higher level. UPT20 has helped me the most, given me the fame I have,” he told ANI.
On his cricketing idols, Yadav praised Virat Kohli
On his cricketing idols, Yadav praised Virat Kohli for his aggression, dedication and exemplary skills in batting and fielding. He said, “My main idol is Virat Kohli. I mean, his dedication, aggression, the way he plays on the field, whether it is batting or fielding, it feels good to watch. And you get to learn a lot from him.” Regarding Ashwin, Yadav noted his admiration for the spinner’s control and variety, especially in red-ball cricket.
“I really like Ashwin’s bowling, because he is a right-arm-off spinner and he bowls with so much control, even against right-hand batsmen. So it feels good to watch him. I get a lot of inspiration from seeing that a right-arm off-spinner can do a lot of things,” Yadav said. He added, “His variations, carrom ball; one season he bowled leg-breaks in the IPL. So I get a lot of inspiration by watching him. I mean, Ashwin has made such a big contribution to Team India.”
Yadav explained that he began as a right-arm off-spinner but developed his left-arm abilities after observing right-hand batsmen dominate that style. He recounted, “I started as a right-arm off-spinner. In cricket, there are a lot of right-hand batsmen. So they are very dominant against the right-arm off-spinner. So we get hit a lot by them. So from the beginning, my left hand used to work a little. So when I started working on it, I thought, let us try again, to see what happens. So when I tried it at the start, I got a good response. I thought, if I work a little harder, it will be a little better. Then I got a lot of support from the coaches. Then I worked harder on it, practised more, and slowly I got a lot of command.”
Regarding his captain, Karan Sharma, the leading run-scorer
Regarding his captain, Karan Sharma, the leading run-scorer with 355 runs in 10 matches including a century and three half-centuries, Yadav described him as highly supportive of the bowlers and regularly involved in tactical discussions.
“Karan Bhai is very good. Especially, he talks a lot with the bowler. All the captains, I mean, they trust the bowler more. Karan Bhai talks to me a lot in between, how to plan, how to take the field. So he is very supportive. He talks to the bowler a lot. I feel very confident that our captain is very supportive,” he said.
When asked about his preferred IPL teams, Yadav expressed a willingness to play for any side but named Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru as his favourites, appreciating their fearless style and prominent players such as Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah.
“If I get a chance to play in IPL, I will play with any team. That is my wish. But if you ask me my favourite teams, then MI and RCB are my favourite teams. There are a lot of other stars (in MI) like Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah. They play cricket very fearlessly, so I like watching them,” he concluded.
The Qualifier 1 match between Kashi Rudras and Meerut Mavericks is scheduled for September 3.
Source: thenewsmill.com
