“We’d bite his hand off”: Yorkshire want Kuldeep Yadav return
YORKSHIRE would “bite his hand off” to have Kuldeep Yadav back as an overseas player.
Head coach Anthony McGrath said he would love to re-sign the Indian spinner.
Yadav has made a big impression during his short stay, capped by a 10-wicket haul in the win over Essex.
“Yeah, we’d bite his hand off, wouldn’t we?” said McGrath of the prospect of Yadav returning to the club.
“He’s an amazing character and his passion for the game… he just loves bowling.
“We’ve been fortunate now for the last year and a bit. The overseas we’ve had have all enjoyed it, and they’ve all said that when they can, they would like to come back.
“Someone of Kuldeep’s mentality and skill-set speaks for itself. He’s also batted very well and got some crucial runs. So, if he can come back at some point, of course we’d make that work.”
Yadav, 31, signed for five One-Day Cup games and three County Championship matches around his India commitments.
Going into his final appearance against Somerset next week, he has taken 19 wickets in seven fixtures at an average of 17.31, while also averaging 20 with the bat.
“He was watching on the stream when he wasn’t here,” McGrath added, emphasising Yadav’s commitment.
“He was delighted more than anything to get the win against Essex and was gutted last week when we lost down at Surrey.
“He wanted to put in a real performance this week and he certainly did that with a ten-fer to help win us the game.
“He got clapped off by the supporters at the end, so it was a great feeling for him.”
McGrath had the perfect view of Yadav’s 10-120 performance against Essex, which included a career-best 6-50 in the second innings as the hosts won by an innings and 106 runs.
The match was played on the same pitch used for the Pakistan Test last month and offered plenty of help to the spinners.
“Luckily the wicket was straight behind our viewing area, so we had a prime spot there,” McGrath added.
“You could see how much he spins it and his control of spin was just sensational.
“If you looked at how he put his overs together - over the wicket, round the wicket… he was setting the batters up.
“He had a plan for every batsman, used his crease, used his variations, and it was brilliant to watch.”