Kuldeep Yadav claimed his fifth five-wicket haul in his 15th Test to help India wrap up West Indies’ first innings at 248 in the ongoing second match between two sides at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.

Having gained a massive lead of 270 runs, India skipper Shubman Gill decided to enforce the follow-on. At stumps on Day 3, the tourists were 173/2 in their second innings and still need 97 more runs to make India bat again.

After the close of play, Kuldeep reflected on his performance while speaking to the host broadcaster.

“We started really well. The wicket is good to bat on and there wasn’t any pace on the wicket, so we just tried to hit it the right length. Hitting the stumps was my plan," Kuldeep said.

He praised the Caribbean batters for their resilience in the second innings. “The first innings was brilliant. Second innings, they batted really well, Hope and Campbell started hitting very well. And they are batting really well at the moment," Kuldeep added.

The left-arm wrist-spinner conceded that it is getting harder to bowl in the second Test, having to generate energy from a slow pitch.

“It looks pretty well to bat. The wicket is obviously slower. And there isn’t any pace on the wicket, so you have to create and generate the energy. And for wrist-spinners, it is difficult sometimes. Hitting the right length and trying to beat the batsmen in the air, that was my plan," Kuldeep said.

“I was just trying to speed my arm speed. I thought yesterday I bowled well. There wasn’t any pace from the wicket. So, I had to create something. The rhythm was good. I was just focusing on the arm speed," he explained.

Commenting on his five-wicket haul, Kuldeep called it ‘special’. "Whatever format I play, I just have to give my best. Taking a five-wicket haul after quite a long was special. You have to create magic on the field. That’s what I always think about. And it doesn’t matter if I play in 18 months or one month. So, that was very clear for me."

(With inputs from Agencies)