‘Jab Retire Hounga Tab Yaad Karunga ki Pakistan ke Against 5 Wicket Liye The’: Kuldeep Yadav

“Jab retire hounga tab yaad karunga ki Pakistan ke against 5 wicket liye the,” a smiling Kuldeep Yadav said while expressing his emotions on his magical spell against the arch-rivals on Monday night. The India vs Pakistan Reserve Day saw a clinical performance from the men in blue that floored the arch-rivals. Scintillating centuries from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul powered India to a massive 356-run total and then Kuldeep ran through the Pakistan middle-order with a five-wicket haul. A 238-run win has put Team India right on the top of the table while Pakistan slipped to the third spot with the worst Net Run Rate of -1.892.

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Kuldeep spun a vicious web around the Pakistan batters, never allowing them to settle in. He has been the highest wicket-taker for India in the ODIs this year and the figures of 5 for 25 in 8 overs against Pakistan was the testament to his excellence in white-ball. But getting to this height wasn’t easy for the Chinaman bowler who had completely lost faith in himself a couple of years ago.

Addressing the post-match presser in Colombo on Monday, Kuldeep recalled his recovery and the process that paved his way back into the Indian dressing room.

“This has not happened overnight. It was frustrating to be away from the team for five months after surgery. It took time for everything to fall into place. I never wanted to lose my grip and drift. Once the rehabilitation was done, I thought ki kuch karte hain. The physio at the NCA, Ashish Kaushik, said ‘No matter what you do, make sure you put the least load on your knees’. So, that prompted me to change my speed and rhythm,” Kuldeep told reporters.

“I bowled in a practice game in Kanpur and realised that it’s working. I tried the same after coming back to the Indian team as well. Earlier, I had a scattered rhythm, in the IPL too. So, it took me 6-7 months to improve that,” he added.

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Asked about the changes he made to his bowling technique, Kuldeep said, “It’s known to everyone that my run-up has gotten straighter, rhythm has turned aggressive; I haven’t lost the drift. Earlier, my hand was dropping a lot but no, that’s under control. Now it’s mostly facing the batter so it’s helping a lot.”

“The key to success for a leg spinner is to keep hitting the good length. Loose balls might not yield results,” he added.