Kuldeep Yadav burst onto the international scene in 2017 and produced some noteworthy performances, including a famous hat-trick against Australia at the Eden Gardens. However, his form slowly dipped, and he went out of favour as far as the selection in the Indian team was concerned.
The left-arm wrist spinner showed perseverance and rediscovered himself during Indian Premier League 2022, where he picked up 21 wickets in 14 matches, at an average of 19.95. He returned to the Indian setup and has done a great job whenever he has been given an opportunity.
The 28-year-old thanked experienced cricketers like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for backing him as he looks to become a vital cog in India’s plans.
“Seniors play a big role. When I brought the changes in my game, Virat bhai and Rohit bhai supported me a lot. They have shown confidence in me. They are backing me,” Yadav was quoted as saying by India Today.
Kuldeep Yadav dismantled the West Indian batting in the first ODI on Thursday, July 27, which India won by five wickets. The talented spinner finished with sensational figures of 4/6 in three overs and was fittingly adjudged Player of the Match.
Most of the time, when I don’t get to play, it is because of the situation and combination: Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav has been in fine form for India in recent times. Between 2020-2021, the spinner picked up just nine wickets in eight matches in ODIs. However, since 2022, he has bagged 31 wickets in 17 games. However, he isn’t a regular feature in India’s playing XI.
In 2022, India travelled to Bangladesh for a two-match Test series. Yadav won the Player of the Match award in the first Test as he scored 40 runs with the bat in the first innings and finished with eight wickets. For the second Test, however, the Uttar Pradesh bowler was shockingly left out of the playing XI. Yadav explained that he had learned how to take such incidents in his stride
“Most of the time, when I don’t get to play, it is because of the situation and combination. It is a normal thing now, I have been playing cricket for so many years, it has been more than six years now. These things are normal,” Yadav ended.