In an electrifying World Cup 2023 match held at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Rohit Sharma’s Indian cricket team secured a remarkable 7-wicket victory over their arch-rivals, Pakistan. This momentous win marked India’s third consecutive triumph in the tournament. The star of the day was Bumrah along with spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who played a pivotal role in the defeat of Pakistan.
This victory marked India’s flawless record of three wins in as many matches during the competition. The highlight of the game was spinner Kuldeep Yadav, whose services were essential in beating their arch-rivals, Pakistan. Kuldeep’s notable scalps included Saud Shakeel and Iftikhar Ahmed, both of whom fell prey to the deceptive sweep shot when facing the left-arm wrist spinner, which ultimately led to Pakistan’s defeat.
Kuldeep Yadav’s perspective gives insight into the turmoil he managed to cause in the minds of the Pakistani players. This bewilderment prompted them to attempt high-risk sweep strokes, even as they failed to interpret his bowling variations.
When questioned about his strategy for bowling to Iftikhar around his legs, Kuldeep responded in a captivating manner. Kuldeep said, “No, I didn’t plan that I would try to bowl Iftikhar around the legs but since I bowl the wrong ‘un (googly), I tried that but it was a wide ball and also a bit on the shorter side which made it difficult for him to sweep.”
After his outstanding performance, Kuldeep shared that when Iftikhar knocked the ball onto the stumps, it led to his dismissal. “It was lucky wicket for me and this kind of wicket puts pressure on batters. They weren’t able to read me from the hands and were in two minds whether to sweep or play normally. I would have loved to get him out in a better manner though.”
“I thought they would try to sweep as they are known to play that shot. But they didn’t take chance but that extra over that I bowled after discussing with skipper, both wickets came in that over.
“Obviously Mohammed Siraj got Babar and that breakthrough helped. Planning to bowl that extra over did get us those two wickets and they couldn’t recover.” Kuldeep further added.
Additionally, Kuldeep was inquired about the delivery that led to Babar Azam’s dismissal in Manchester during the 2019 World Cup. When discussing this particular moment, Kuldeep didn’t appear overly enthusiastic. He said: “That was a good ball and it got hyped because of the World Cup but I have got people out with similar deliveries in bilaterals. As a spinner, you want to bowl these deliveries where batters are absolutely clueless as to which one is turning.
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“That Manchester wicket had nip and bounce. Against good batters, it’s important to bowl in one area and force them to make mistakes. Rhythm gives you confidence. To be honest, I played 3-4 games against them and lucky to win all of them. For me, you saw the crowd, atmosphere you want to do well. In 2019, best moment was playing against Pakistan.”
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