Following India’s loss to Australia in the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final, seasoned spinner Kuldeep Yadav thought back on his feelings. Notably, in the title match, the Men in Blue, who finished first out of ten teams in the tournament, were unable to maintain their winning form.
He claimed that it took nearly ten days to get over the team’s loss against the Pat Cummins-led squad. He took longer to process the defeat than any of his comrades.
“It was quite tough to get started. The initial 7 to 10 days were quite difficult. I could never shake the nightmare of losing the World Cup final when I woke up. But things change and life goes on.
“I had the chance to perform in South Africa; I had visited the country in 2018 and was familiar with the environment. After India and South Africa’s final Twenty20 International,Kuldeep Yadav observed, “In cricket, you have to learn from mistakes and apply them in future matches. What you want never happens.”
Kuldeep Yadav also discussed the match-winning economic outburst he had on December 14 at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg during the third and final Twenty20 International against South Africa. He became the second Indian bowler, after Bhuvneshwar Kumar, to take several wickets in Twenty20 internationals, adding another feather to his cap. The seasoned player additionally made history by being the first Indian spinner to accomplish this feat.
In celebration of his 29th birthday, Kuldeep Yadav took five wickets and led India to a commanding 106-run victory against the hosts.
“The day proved to be exceptional. It has never occurred to me to take five wickets. More importantly, all I wanted was for the squad to win. Since I started playing after a while, I was worried about my bowling and wanted to find my rhythm. Today, everything was ideal. The conditions were also somewhat favorable for the spinners, and the ball was emerging from the hand nicely,” he continued.
In addition, the 29-year-old participated in a game in South Africa in 2018 but had to take a lengthy break from the sport in 2021 due to a knee injury. But he recovered well, and ever since then, he has been casting powerful spells.
“I struggled with my injury for a few years after being very new in 2018, and after my surgery, I returned and made some adjustments to my bowling, particularly to my run-up. Trying to focus on length and simply trying to bowl much straighter and more aggressively,” he said in closing.
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