Kuldeep earned the Player of the Match award after delivering a critical spell of 4/40.
Kuldeep Yadav admitted that he felt awkward receiving the Player of the Match award ahead of Virat Kohli, even though his four-wicket haul had paved the way for India’s comeback and eventually eight-wicket victory over the West Indies in the first ODI at Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday (September 23).
The left-arm wrist-spinner returned with the figures of 4-40 in 10 overs, which brought India back into the match during the middle overs, restricting the West Indies to under 300 after they threatened a much higher total.
Kuldeep broke a 135-run opening stand by dismissing John Campbell, and followed it with prized scalps of skipper Shai Hope, centurion Justin Greaves and Jewel Andrew.
Chasing 296 to win, the Men in Blue rode on centuries from Kohli (139* off 88) and Shubman Gill (110 off 108) to get over the line with 50 deliveries to spare.
"I actually loved the batting from Shubman and Virat bhai, it was a special inning from them. It feels awkward to receive the Man of the Match award seeing the way Virat batted, it was an outstanding inning," Kuldeep said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Reflecting on his bowling spell, Kuldeep expressed delight that everything clicked in his favour. "I think personally I like my rhythm, to be very honest. I was very calm in my rhythm and just trying to bowl whatever I felt like bowling, just varying the pace, variations were superb, just reading the batters, where they're going to hit me, and yeah, I bowled very, very, very good in rhythm."
The current Indian team management has frequently sidelined Kuldeep in favor of batting depth or alternative bowling combinations. He was part of India’s squad for the away ODI series against England in July, but warmed the bench in all three matches.
No wonder, Kuldeep Yadav believes a spell like this goes a long way in restoring belief in his abilities.
"It always feels nice when you enjoy your bowling and that's where you achieve your best. When you are enjoying your bowling, when you are a bit relaxed as well, and then your performance comes at peak. So, sometimes it feels to get that confidence back, you have to have a bowling spell like this, definitely, you grow your confidence," he remarked.
However, Kuldeep insisted that there was still room for improvement. "I still believe there's a lot to improve as a spinner and I believe the rhythm, it's all about your flow, bowling flow, and when you are comfortable and when you are in good flow, then everything looks so good.
"I personally feel there's still a chance to improve, and I'm going to stick with the same rhythm, that's the most important thing. Even if I play any format, it's just about you feeling comfortable in your rhythm and in your flow."
In the end, Kuldeep Yadav spoke about his deep passion for football and his support for FC Barcelona.
“Yeah, of course, I love football, been watching football from early age and then obviously watching the live games.
“[On whether his football team is doing well] Yeah, we're doing really well, and if you look at the standing-wise in terms of league position, we are number one, and then obviously the style of play which we talk about in Barcelona, we are really up to the mark. So obviously they are FC Barcelona fans, so we are very good in that, and the most important thing is to enjoy the football, and I think most of the guys in the Barcelona squad, they are doing that,” he concluded.