A Test series can never be won by luck: Kuldeep Yadav on India’s historic 2018-19 triumph Down Under

Tags: India tour of Australia, 2020-21, India, Australia, Kuldeep Yadav

Published on: Dec 13, 2020

India’s historic Test series win in Australia during the 2018-19 tour is often played down since the Aussies were forced to field a weakened team in the absence of suspended David Warner and Steve Smith. India went on to clinch the series 2-1, with Cheteshwar Pujara putting up a heroic batting show and Jasprit Bumrah leading from the front with the ball. Even so, critics have often pointed out to the fact that India won against an under-strength Australia. That’s not all, some have even termed India’s triumph as ‘lucky’

Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav though finds the criticism unfair. “A Test series can never be won by luck,” Yadav said in an interview on kkr.in. “You need to win Test matches to win a series. We won two of them, and could have one the fourth one too had there been no rain. The criticism holds no merit,” he added.

The upcoming Test series will see both Warner and Smith in action, although the latter will miss the Adelaide encounter due to injury.

“Whenever you are playing against a team, your own team’s performance matters the most. So instead of looking at the other team - who they have in their squad, and who they don’t - it makes more sense to talk about your own team,” he further said.

“We did well, and hence we won the Test series. If our fast bowling works well and we perform as prolifically with the bat as we did the last time, we will win this time too,” the chinaman bowler, who claimed a five-for during the Sydney Test of the 2018-19 tour.

The latest edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will kick-off with the first Test between India and Australia at Adelaide on December 17. This will be India’s first pink-ball encounter Down Under.

--By A Cricket Correspondent

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