Wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav became a hero on Thursday as his five-wicket haul helped India defeat South Africa by 106 runs in the third T20I. With this win, India ended the three-match T20I series with 1-1 draw. Asked to bat first, the visitors posted a whopping total of 201/7 in 20 overs with skipper Suryakumar Yadav smashing 100 off 56 balls. Later, South Africa were bundled out for 95 after Kuldeep scalped five wickets. Co-incidentally, there was another reason for Kuldeep to celebrate as it was his 29th birthday.
After the match ended in India's favor, Kuldeep was asked to choose his birthday gift from the five wickets that he scalped. However, the spinner came up with a heart-winning response.
"I think it was Surya bhai's batting. That was the biggest gift. He batted brilliantly. The way he was batting was great to watch because the pitch was not that easy for batting. It was really a treat to watch him bat. It turned out to be a special day. I have never thought about taking five wickets," Kuldeep said during the post-match press conference.
"I just wanted the team to win which is more important. I was concerned about my bowling because I was playing after some time, 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," he 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 back to the field with a new technique.
"In 2018, I was very new and after that, 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 focusing on length," Kuldeep said.
(With PTI Inputs)
from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/VEdxYjs
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