The surface at the Narendra Modi Stadium wasn’t particularly conducive to spin but in front of a 1,00,000-plus crowd on Saturday afternoon, a patient Kuldeep Yadav managed to trigger a Pakistan collapse with two crucial wickets.
The odds weren’t stacked in his favour, as Kuldeep had a dry spell in his first seven overs. By then, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan - two solid players of spin - were going strong, and a total of 270-280 looked quite obvious.
With time running out, India looked desperate for a breakthrough, and that’s when Mohammed Siraj rattled Babar’s stumps amid huge cheers from the spectators.
However, with a steady Pakistan middle-order, India needed more from its bowlers.
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“The captain (Rohit Sharma) and KL (Rahul) had a conversation that I should bowl an extra over in between, as they felt that we could get a wicket there,” Kuldeep said.
The plan clicked as Kuldeep incorporated variations and claimed two quick wickets of Saud Shakeel and Iftikhar Ahmed, respectively, in a span of four deliveries to put India back in command. “Bowling that over was important, and we scalped two wickets in that over,” Kuldeep said with a smile.
Reliving memories of the 2019 World Cup in England, where he stunned Babar Azam with a perfect delivery that had a generous flight and deadly drift, Kuldeep held his nerves until the 33rd over and once he tricked two of Pakistan’s dangerous big-hitters, he knew the job was done.
Both Shakeel and Iftikhar went for the non-existent sweep shot off the left-arm wrist spinner. “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,” Kuldeep said.
Iftikhar played the ball onto the stumps and lost his wicket.
“It was a 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,” the Indian spinner said with a smile.
Initially, Yadav didn’t extract a significant turn from the pitch, but he managed to keep the Pakistan batters on their toes. “In the first seven overs, we could bowl in the right areas. It was spot on. But they did not try much; we were anticipating that Rizwan would attempt some sweep shots, but they did not take chances,” Kuldeep said.
“Babar and Rizwan were batting well, and they looked set. Things were in their favour, and then we earned that breakthrough in my over, and from thereon, they failed to get going. They could not build their innings. As Jassi (Bumrah) took two wickets, they were under pressure…”
With a run-feast in the offing, the Indian camp was expecting the opponent to score 270-plus before things changed dramatically. “We thought 270 would be tough here, and wickets itne achhe the ke aap upar bhi ball daalte toh runs mil rahe the. So, it was important to bowl at a good length. It was slow, and it was important not to offer room to any batters. I have never planned anything in advance, but I am happy that we could find those breakthroughs…”
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“I played 3-4 games against them and was lucky to win all of them. For me, you saw the crowd, the atmosphere you want to do well. In 2019, the best moment was playing against Pakistan,” Kuldeep said.
Asked whether he enjoyed bowling more in the first session, the spinner laughed and said in jest, “My bowling under lights has always been good. I always want to bowl second, but what to do as Rohit bhai doesn’t listen to me…”
As the team plays Bangladesh in Pune next, the Indian camp would expect Kuldeep to keep the momentum going.
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