Kuldeep Yadav interatced with Yuzvendra Chahal ahead of the second T20I in Ranchi.
Kuldeep Yadav admitted that moving past Yuzvendra Chahal in India's T20I wicket tally did not bring him unqualified happiness because he wished the pair could have continued hunting wickets together.
Kuldeep crossed Chahal's tally of 96 wickets during the first T20I against the West Indies at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday (October 6), claiming 2/33 in his four overs.
Ahead of the second T20I in Ranchi on Friday (October 9), Kuldeep interacted with Chahal on JioStar, noting he wasn't fully joyous after surpassing the latter’s tally of wickets.
“I'm not particularly happy about it. I would have preferred it if we were playing together, because we could have broken many more records together,” Kuldeep said.
The left-arm wrist-spinner now has 98 wickets from 56 T20Is, two more than Chahal’s 96 from 80 matches.
The duo, popularly known as KulCha, shared a prolific partnership across limited-overs formats before Chahal transitioned to broadcaster roles.
“But it also feels good to watch you from the other end now. Whenever you're around, there's always a great atmosphere while playing, and I also get to learn a lot about bowling from you. I'll always be grateful for that,” Kuldeep stated.
Reflecting on his return to T20 cricket after a break in white-ball formats, Kuldeep acknowledged needing to adjust his rhythm and push his lengths back after initially bowling with more ODI-style loop.
“When I last played a T20 match, my rhythm was more like that of ODI cricket. In ODIs, you always have more time to spin the ball and more opportunities to do so,” Kuldeep remarked.
“So, if you look at my first two overs, I was bowling with a little more loop because I hadn't played T20 cricket for quite some time. But that's no excuse. When you switch formats, you have to plan accordingly.”
“I think I showed better control in my last two overs and pushed my lengths back a little. Those are the small adjustments you have to make. I'm sure I'll keep making them going forward,” he explained.
Kuldeep Yadav also detailed his bowling strategy against the explosive hitters of the West Indies, emphasizing that the key to containing powerful batters is maintaining a disciplined length and denying them room to free their arms and swing.
“We've played a lot of matches together, and our discussions have always revolved around one thing: hitting the right length and not giving the batters a chance to free their arms,” he said. “That's what I try to do — stick to my length, keep the ball in the right areas, and not give them room to swing freely.”
He stressed that precision is vital against the West Indies, noting that their batters generate massive power and can easily hit slightly overpitched deliveries for sixes.
“They generate so much power with their bat speed that even a slightly overpitched delivery can disappear over the boundary.”
While he playfully that he would celebrate his 100th wicket by mimicking Chahal's famous pose, Kuldeep maintained that team success is his main priority over individual milestones.
“Absolutely, I'll do my best to pose like you if I get those wickets!” he replied, before adding, “Reaching a milestone is definitely important, but I'm not focusing too much on it. I just want the match to go well for our team and to bowl well. That's more important.”