Kuldeep Yadav opens up on Test comeback: Worked on my rhythm, tried to be aggressive vs Bangladesh

India spinner Kuldeep Yadav has revealed what he changed in his bowling as he helped India clinch the first Test against Bangladesh.

Yadav was named the Player of the Match for picking up eight wickets in India's 188-run victory as India went 1-0 up in the two-match series. Apart from his contribution with the ball, Yadav scored a crucial 40 in the first innings when the likes of KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli could not deliver with the bat.

"To be very honest I am happy with the performance, both with bat and ball. First innings the pitch was quicker than the second innings. There was some pace in the first innings, but the second innings was very challenging. It was slower. So I was trying to work on my rhythm and bowl quicker.

"Probably more reverse on the ball makes it challenging for the batters and it is difficult to step down and drive as well (why wrist spinners have that extra edge)," Yadav said in the post-match presentation on Sunday.

When he was asked about what he had worked on his bowling, the wrist spinner replied," I just worked on my rhythm, tried to be more aggressive and it's helped me a lot. The action is the same, just trying to be aggressive in the rhythm."

Meanwhile, India's stand-in skipper KL Rahul said that it was a "hard-fought Test" and he was just glad that India bounced back with a win in the first Test after losing the One-Day International (ODI) series.

"We've been here for a while. The one-day series didn't go how we wanted it to, the results didn't go our way. It was important that we turned up and performed well in the Test series. It was a hard-fought Test match and we had to really work hard for this win. Really happy that we did that," said Rahul, who is leading India in the absence of Rohit Sharma.

Speaking about the pitch, Rahul said "it did flatten out" but "it didn't worry us as the batters were batting very comfortably and getting runs easily."

"Getting runs was very hard for the first three days. It was a slow pitch, not much in the wicket for batters to get runs easily. The way their openers batted, made it harder for us and we knew that we had to work hard for our wickets. Even when the partnership was going, our intensity was really high. We've played Test cricket for a while and we know that no victory comes easy.

"We batted well in the first innings as well. From the position we were in to get to 400+ was a job well done by the batters. Puji (Pujara), Shreyas batted really well and Rishabh went with that counter-attacking innings, that's how he plays. Good that the batters did that and the lower order contributed, that gives you confidence when you win the toss and bat first," added Rahul.

Rahul also praised Gill and Pujara as the duo scored a century each in Inda's second innings.

"The way we bowled in the first innings really set the game up. Shubman and Puji really utilised the opportunity of batting, very happy for them. Very pleased with the way we bowled in both the innings. The pitch wasn't really assisting the bowlers all that much, but they found something in the wicket.

"The seamers got wickets, Umesh bowled a couple of brilliant spells and got us back in the game. We've built this attack over the years. They are showing what quality they have. We won the Test match, I am not going to worry about what we could have done better. We are going to relax for the next couple of days and then think about what we need to do next," said Rahul.

The second Test between India and Bangladesh is scheduled to begin on Dec. 22 at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka.