India wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has come a long way after making his international debut in 2017. In 60 ODIs, he has claimed 104 wickets at an impressive average of 26.16 while his T20I record reads – 39 scalps from 20 games at an economy rate of 7.11.
Kuldeep has also proved his worth in a brief Test career. In 6 Tests, he has picked up 24 wickets at an average of 24.12 with two five-wicket hauls.
On Friday (June 19), the left-arm chinaman recalled his debut Test against Australia in Dharamsala, where he picked up four wickets in the first innings to lead the foundation for India’s series-clinching eight-wicket victory.
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"I was blank when I got my Test cap. I didn't know what was happening and what others were speaking because it was the biggest moment of my life," Kuldeep said while speaking with Mayank Agarwal and Yuzvendra Chahal on the series 'Open Nets with Mayank' hosted by bcci.tv.
"I remember (David) Warner was my first Test scalp and it was a huge moment in my life. I got emotional because it's a dream to play Test cricket for India. And on the first day itself, I got the wicket. So, that was like icing on the cake. That's why I got a bit emotional," he added.
Kuldeep also spoke about his second ODI hat-trick which came against the West Indies in December 2019 in Visakhapatnam.
"It was a very important milestone in my life. It was after a long time after the World Cup that we were playing as either me or Chahal used to play in a match. So, I was making a return to the ODI side after a long gap."
Shai Hope, Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph were his victims as the tweaker became the first Indian bowler to achieve two hat-tricks in the 50-over format.
"I had the belief that I would be able to take the hat-trick as lower-order batsmen were on the crease. This hat-trick will always remain extra special for me," he remarked.
Kuldeep, 25, also talked about his fellow spinner Chahal's jolly nature.
"As far as I have known Chahal, one thing is sure that he is never serious. Maybe, only while bowling he remains serious, else all the time he is enjoying, cracking jokes and having fun. And it's important to have such a character in the team," he said.
