The way Kanpur helped develop the astute Chinese player Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav personifies the witty and cunning spirit of his hometown, Kanpur, and has a tongue that is both fast and cutting. With his teammates at his side, he targets a batsman with the cunning and humor of his hometown’s favorite game, chikai.
A important issue emerges as the World Cup caravan prepares to travel the whole length and breadth of India: How does a place and its social environment mold a cricketer and impact their game? If Virat Kohli had been born in Guwahati East rather than West Delhi, would he still be the same person and athlete? Or what may have happened to Kuldeep Yadav if he had come from Mumbai’s Colaba neighborhood? Over the following seven days, we learn more.
Manjul is a well-known political cartoonist who specializes in using biting humor to peel back the layers of difficult national issues. In the 1990s, he left Kanpur, the city of his birth. Nevertheless, the chaotic city with its unfair share of comedy and sardonic one-liners continues to impact his work despite their split up, separation, and the passing of the decades.
Manjul enjoys talking about his hometown and how it embodies the region’s train line, which runs between Delhi and Lucknow. “Unlike Lucknow, we are neither unduly courteous nor as brazen as Delhi. Humor in Kanpur is modest. It isn’t too direct or poisonous, but it is…,” he stumbles, trying to find the appropriate English term.
In the end, Kanpur’s meticulously kept vocabulary becomes useful. His favorite activity, Chikayi, “sums up our self-deprecating city of closed mills, load-shedding, and traffic jams where humor helps one to survive,” he claims.
No, Chikayi doesn’t bully. It loosely translates to “leg-pulling,” but even that doesn’t fully express the depth of the banter and repartee heard at Kanpur’s numerous gumtis, or little booths along a marketplace, where every evening some unfortunate target meets the mocking jabs of many. The day’s bakra became encircled at an adda.
The ground in Colombo recently during the Asia Cup had the atmosphere of a Kanpur gumti with the youngster from the city, Kuldeep Yadav, leading the Chikayi. He was accompanied by close-in fielders Ishan Kishan, Shubhman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and wicketkeeper KL Rahul. The Lankan batters were their goal that evening.
The rarest of all bowlers is Kuldeep. The majority of left-arm spinners utilize their fingers. They’re known as orthodox. Few people utilize their wrists, like Kuldeep. His repertoire is vast, and he has several iterations and variants for each of his stock balls. He manipulates the batsmen’s thoughts by mixing his balls.
‘Kuldeep the bowler’ is capable of coming up with a biting rejoinder, just like the incisive and quick-witted individuals from his birthplace. A powerful turner disguised as a loopy delivery
placed outside the right-hander’s off-stump would be the counterpunch to a batsman who hits a booming shot through extra cover and would silence him for the day.
India needed to defeat Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup match in order to guarantee their spot in the championship game. The dangerous Sadeera Samarawickrama was at the crease. Something appeared to be cooking as Kuldeep entered the game to bowl. Rahul encircled the left-arm spinner with his arm. They appeared to be planning a plot.
Kuldeep would stroll up to the stumps during the subsequent over as he bowled from over the wicket. He concealed the ball within his cocked wrist, which was attached to his constantly ticking brain. He launched his catchline, or takia kalaam, a well-flew ball outside that was ripe with opportunity.
Samarawickrama had seemed unstable on the previous ball while defending a twisting ball while stuck to the crease. Kuldeep anticipated that the batter would strut down the field.
It is stupid. By the time he realizes it, it’s too late. Kuldeep slowed down and almost missed the ball. Rahul strikes Samarawickrama, and the fielders chuckle. Chikai was pulling legs like a cricketer. Kuldeep’s face was covered with his signature sneer of evil. For this World Cup, India would take part in the adda, and they are hoping to chuckle when Kuldeep smiles.
The Chinaman from Kanpur is expressive, but his attitude is considerably different from that of Shane Warne, his idol. The late Australian icon was known as Hollywood because he enjoyed drama. With his strikingly blonde hair and larger-than-life presence, Warne made it clear that danger was always there. Kuldeep doesn’t exaggerate his abilities or provide a warning. Again, that is a characteristic of Kanpur. Here, clever sallys and deft wordplay are used to win arguments.
Because of its fixation with superiority, Kanpur has come to value cunning and deception throughout the years. The most well-known candy store in the area is called Thaggu ke Laddu and takes great satisfaction in defrauding even customers’ family. Their slogan is “Aisa koi sagaa nahi, jisko humne thagaa nahi.” The national award-winning movie Katiyabaaz is about an electrical theft in the nation’s load-shedding capital. Bunty aur Babli, a film about a con couple that was made by a local teenager named Shaad Ali, was the city’s contribution to Bollywood.
Gopal Sharma, the OG, lived in Kanpur much earlier than Kuldeep. He played more than 100 first-class matches in cricket throughout the 1980s, but just five Test matches. He is a living legend in his hometown. Manjul the cartoonist was a young man when Sharma played Tests. He remembers how well-liked the off-spinner was. He served as a local hero. According to Manjul, “People would comment, ‘Look, the shop, that’s where Gopal Sharma gets his milk from.
Sharma, who is currently 63 years old, has a tendency to shout “Bilkul, bikul” anytime he completely agrees with someone. Did Kanpur affect how you played? Is your reputation as a chalk spinner due to the city in which you live? He quickly responds, “Bilkul, Bilkul.”
The ball that vanished, Sharma’s variation, was evidently his “chalaaki.” This was a long time before the term “doosra” was invented. In the past, it was known as a “leg-cutter,” or “ulti” as we say in Uttar Pradesh. The ball will be delivered similarly to an off-spinner but would be bowled away from the right-hander, he claims.
He provides a succinct, detailed explanation of his unique ball. “Instead of using my finger for the ulti, I would use my wrist. The ball would float and go the opposite direction with just a tweak of the wrist rather than the spinning finger, he claims. Has Kuldeep the identical chalaaki? “Bilkul, bilkul” Does he have a little Kanpur in his bowling?
Manjul contends that it’s more regional than what they claim—that a guy is made in the city. To illustrate his argument, he used a couplet by the late renowned Kanpur poet Pramod Tiwari. “Mere ghar ke aage jo mod hai, meri zindagi ka nichod hai, use pata hai mai kahan gaya, mai jahan gaya, woh wahan gaya,” he continues.
According to Tiwari, one’s immediate surroundings, namely the turn that leads home, shape their fundamental character. A person can go through life, yet the turn never leaves them.
The twisting alleys and abrupt twists of Kanpur encourage cunning and competition. Kuldeep is gone from home because of cricket, but his turn keeps him company and is evident in his talent and spin.
