Overcast conditions, a grassy pitch and Scott Boland running in. The fate of the batters is almost set in stone. At Gqeberha against South Africa, a similar story is unfolding. Australia boast of a pace bowling line-up that features Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Boland and given the right conditions, any one of them could run through the opposition.

Only 43 overs were bowled in the first two days, but Boland seized the opportunity to take 4 wickets in the 84 deliveries he bowled, outperforming the other three.

He produced an absolute ripper to dismiss Aiden Markram, an in-swinger crashed into the stumps. The next delivery was an outswinger, dismissing David Bedingham. Seeing the dismissals of Markram and Bedingham on back-to-back deliveries, a question popped up - Why doesn't Boland play more often?

Boland made his debut in the 2020-21 Ashes, but going into the second Test, he had played just 19 Tests, in which he had taken an incredible 82 wickets at an average of 18.58. So why indeed doesn't he play more often?

The reasons for that are plenty, and we will get to that a little later, but to many in India, the query will seem familiar. Only, we need to replace Boland with Kuldeep Yadav. Different bowlers facing the similar struggle of a stop-start Test career.

Just like Boland, Kuldeep has also played an awfully low number of Tests (19) despite making his debut against Australia in Dharamsala in 2017.

Both Kuldeep and Boland get Test matches far and few between; however, the reasons are completely different. For Boland, the case is just too simple - Australia's fast bowling riches. Pat Cummins (326 wickets in 75 Tests), Josh Hazlewood (311 wickets in 79 Tests) and Mitchell Starc (448 wickets in 108 Tests) have a solid body of work behind them. Nathan Lyon, with 573 wickets (144 matches) is the leading wicket-taker in Tests among off-spinners, is the fourth piece of the famed quartet.

So, Boland inevitably only gets a chance in the playing XI when one of the pacers is injured, or the pitch promises so much assistance to pacers that Australia decide to play with four fast bowlers.

The story for Kuldeep is slightly different. He was initially kept out of the playing XI by Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. However, once Ashwin retired, it was widely expected that Kuldeep would regularly play alongside Jadeja.

But as the management's fascination for a longer batting line-up grew, Kuldeep often found himself cast aside. In the second Test against Sri Lanka at Colombo recently, Shubman Gill and the management dropped Kuldeep, handing a debut to Saransh Jain. It can be heartbreaking, but is it solely the fault of the management?

On the other hand, with Kuldeep, one is never quite sure. He could be brilliant, but he could also look uninspired. In 19 Tests, Kuldeep has 80 wickets at an average of 23.36, while giving away runs at an RPO of 3.56. However, the statistics don't reveal how Kuldeep has been found wanting on spin-friendly pitches.

Perhaps the difference is in the mindset. While Kuldeep can seem a little frayed around the edges, Boland exudes a rare maturity.

“I'm not like, 25, so I know that time's probably running out a little bit. I want to play every Test, but I probably know that's not 100% realistic, so I just want to be ready for whenever I get an opportunity,” said Boland after stumps on Day 2 of the second Test against South Africa.

Boland has repeatedly put his words into practice; however, Kuldeep has been found wanting in that department.

Take the previous Sri Lanka Tests into consideration. Kuldeep had everything going for him in the series opener. However, he failed to deliver the goods in Galle, bowling just 25 overs and conceding 103 runs, taking one wicket. Several times, it seemed that the captain, Shubman Gill, didn't have enough confidence in him. Proof of that was handed out in the next Test, where Kuldeep was dropped, and debutant Saransh bowled 57.4 overs.

Many believe Kuldeep is a confidence bowler who does well when the captain backs him. The biggest difference between Boland and Kuldeep seems to be in their mindset and how they view their situation.

From the outside, it seems that Boland has made peace with the fact that he will only play sporadically. Even if he plays after one year, he has the knack for bowling in the proper channel and not straying from his line and length.

On the other hand, Kuldeep is a bit too inconsistent. In the Delhi Test against the West Indies last year, he returned with a fifer; however, just days later, his form dipped and he looked at sea on a spin-friendly track against South Africa at the Barsapara in Guwahati, where the opposition spinner Simon Harmer out-bowled him.

Another thing with Kuldeep is that his confidence seems to go for a toss when a batter starts to attack him. On the other hand, Boland relishes the challenge, and it says quite a lot about him that he's only had two bad games for Australia and both of them came in placid conditions in the UK during the Ashes.

Boland's performance tells us it's important for an athlete to take control of their own fate. He has abandoned the fear of failure to truly embrace the moment. And in that alone, there is a lesson that could help Kuldeep just enjoy the game and make every opportunity count.