OTD: India’s spin sensation Kuldeep Yadav was born today in 1994

India’s left-arm wrist spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, has turned 29 today. He is currently with the squad in South Africa and fans will be keeping a close tab on his performance. The UP-born spinner has been a revelation for India, especially in the limited overs format, and has made an even more important place for himself after his comeback in the squad.

Kuldeep Yadav’s journey has been sensational, right from the under-19 World Cup to becoming India’s frontline spinner. The left-arm wrist spinner first burst onto the scene with his performance in the 2014 under-19 World Cup in UAE. In 2017 he made his debut for India in all formats of the game starting with his test debut against Australia at Dharamshala. Whereas, he played his first ODI and T20I matches against West Indies on the away tour in the same year.

Kuldeep Yadav instantly gained prominence and cemented his place in the Indian team, particularly in the limited-overs format. His partnership with Yuzvendra Chahal made the Indian team a formidable bowling unit in white-ball cricket and played a crucial role in the 2019 ODI World Cup as well. 

However, after initial success, the 29-year-old wrist spinner struggled with the form. His bowling speed came under scrutiny which was not helping him to deceive the batters anymore and his wicket-taking form witnessed a drastic slump. Consequently, was dropped from the Indian team and did not get many games in the IPL either as Kolkata Knight Riders preferred to bench him.  

Resounding Comeback

The real identity of an athlete comes to the fore when his back is pinned against the wall. Kuldeep Yadav overcame that brief period of failure with corrective measures and worked hard to get better at his game. His comeback to the Indian team proved to be beneficial for the Indian team as his performance was commendable in the recently concluded ODI World Cup. The wrist spinner would continue to be an integral prospect for the Men in Blue and a lot would depend on him in the upcoming T20 World Cup as well.

Also read: New Zealand’s hard-hitting batting all-rounder Corey Anderson was born in 1990