New Delhi: Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav is celebrating his 30th birthday today, December 14. Since making his debut for India, he has become a crucial part of India’s limited-over set-up. He played an important role in Team India’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign and picked up 10 wickets in five matches.
Kuldeep has played 13 Test matches for the Men in Blue and took 56 wickets. In ODIs, he picked up 172 wickets in 106 matches and in T20Is, he took 69 wickets in 40 matches. Kuldeep was handed an IPL contract in 2012 by Mumbai Indians, but he failed to make the playing XI in his debut season.
Two years later, he was transferred to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and made his debut in 2016. Kuldeep has played 84 IPL matches and picked up 87 wickets. He was not selected for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to the long-term resolution of his chronic left groin issue. Kuldeep is a big fan of FC Barcelona.
Top five spells of Kuldeep Yadav
1. Dream debut in Dharamsala
Kuldeep made his Test debut against Australia in 2017 and took four wickets on Day 1 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. He picked up the crucial wickets of David Warner, Shaun Marsh and Glenn Maxwell helping India to restrict the visitors for 300 in the first innings. The Men in Blue won the fourth Test by 8 wickets and clinched the series by 2-1.
2. ODI Hat-trick at Eden Gardens in 2017
Kuldeep took a hat-trick against Australia in the second ODI of the five-match series in 2017 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. He became the third bowler after Kapil Dev and Chetan Sharma to take an ODI hat-trick. He removed Matthew Wade, Ashton Agar and Pat Cummins as Australia bundled out for 202 runs and India won the match by 50 runs.
3. Fifer against England in 2018
Kuldeep picked up a five-wicket haul in the first T20I against England at Old Trafford in Manchester in 2018. He was introduced into the attack in the 10th over. He dismissed Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Jos Buttler as England bowled out 159 runs. The Men in Blue chased the target with 10 balls remaining.
4. 6/25 against England in 2018
After the stunning performance in the first T20I against England, Kuldeep once again troubled the England batters in the ODI series. He took six wickets in the first ODI against England at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham. He removed Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and David Willey to restrict England on 268 runs. The Men in Blue chased down the target in 40.1 overs and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
5. 5/17 against South Africa in 2023
Kuldeep took a fifer on his 29th birthday in the third T20I against South Africa. He became the second Indian bowler to take two five-wicket hauls in the T20Is. The Men in Blue batted and posted a massive target of 202 runs in the 20 overs. Captain Suryakumar Yadav scored a century in 56 balls. Chasing the target, South Africa bundled out for 95 runs in 13.5 overs. Kuldeep dismissed Miller, Ferreira, Maharaj, Nandre Burger and Lizaad Williams in the match.
Happy Birthday Kuldeep Yadav: He has played 159 matches for India across all formats and picked up 297 wickets. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
