India spinner Kuldeep Yadav revealed that it took him ten days to move past the ODI World Cup defeat against Australia, constantly reflecting on what he might have changed that evening. Similar to his fellow teammates, Kuldeep needed some time to recover from the defeat in the ODI World Cup final against Australia.
“Starting was really difficult. The first 7 to 10 days were really tough. Whenever I was waking up, the thought of losing the World Cup final was haunting me. But life changes and moves on. I got an opportunity to play in South Africa, I last played here in 2018 so I knew the conditions well,” he said.
“In cricket what you want never happens and you have to learn from them and implement those in future matches.”
Taken aback by the unexpected spin conditions at The Wanderers during the third T20I, Kuldeep Yadav noted that despite the South African pitches being traditionally recognised for their pace and bounce, they are favoring spinners during the ongoing tour. Celebrating his 29th birthday, Kuldeep achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the second Indian bowler to take multiple five-wicket hauls in T20Is after Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Notably, he also became the first Indian spinner to reach this landmark, joining Bhuvneshwar with two five-wicket hauls in T20Is.
“It turned out to be a special day. I have never thought about taking five wickets. I just wanted the team to win which is more important. I was concerned about my bowling because I was playing after sometime, so wanted to get my rhythm. It was perfect today. The ball was coming out well from the hand and the conditions too suited the spinners a bit,” Kuldeep added.
Kuldeep last played in South Africa in 2018 but a knee injury in 2021, for which he underwent surgery, halted his career for 6–7 months. However, he successfully returned to the field with a new technique.
“In 2018, I was very new and after that, a couple of years I struggled with my injury, and post-surgery I came back and made a few changes in my bowling, especially in my run-up. Trying to be more aggressive and just trying to bowl much straighter and focussing on length,” Kuldeep said.
Suryakumar Yadav set the stage with an explosive century off 56 balls, propelling India to a total of 201 for 7 in the third T20I. South Africa failed to chase down the target, getting dismissed for 95 in 13.5 overs.
The India tour of South Africa will now shift to a three-match ODI series starting Sunday in Johannesburg.
