Kuldeep Yadav is a match-winner, says childhood coach on spinner completing 300 international scalps
Dubai, Feb 23 (IANS) Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav etched his name in the record books on Sunday by becoming the fifth Indian spinner to claim 300 international wickets during the ICC Champions Trophy Group A clash against Pakistan at Dubai International Stadium.
Kuldeep’s childhood coach Kapil Dev Pandey praised the spinner for his achievement and said Kuldeep is a match-winner.
“The way he bowled was superb. Yesterday, I spoke to him and told him to bowl freely. Shaheen Afridi was left clueless. And I am so happy for him. He is a match-winner,” Kuldeep’s coach Kapil Dev Pandey told IANS.
The 30-year-old from Kanpur joined the ranks of legendary spinners Anil Kumble, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja.
Kuldeep reached the milestone after dismissing Salman Ali Agha in the 43rd over when the batter mistimed an aerial shot and was caught by Ravindra Jadeja. Agha faced 24 balls but failed to score a boundary or six before departing. Kuldeep then dismissed Shaheen Shah Afridi on the next ball before taking the dismissal of Naseem Shah to return with the figures of 3-40 in his nine overs.
With this achievement, Kuldeep became the 13th Indian bowler to pick up 300 wickets across formats. He now has 56 wickets in 13 Tests, 175 wickets in 110 ODIs and 69 wickets in 40 T20Is.
Kuldeep also has a strong record against Pakistan, having taken 13 wickets in seven ODIs, including a match-winning 5-25 in the Asia Cup 2023 at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
The overall record for the most wickets by an Indian in international cricket remains with Anil Kumble (953 wickets).
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya also reached a significant milestone in the match, becoming the latest Indian bowler to claim 200 wickets in international cricket. The 31-year-old from Baroda dismissed Babar Azam (23 off 26 balls) on the second ball of the ninth over and later removed Saud Shakeel in the 35th over.
Hardik contributed with 2-31 as India bowled out Pakistan for 241 in the blockbuster encounter.
In the same match, star batter Virat Kohli surpassed Mohammad Azharuddin to hold the record for the most catches as a fielder for India in ODIs with 157 catches. Azharuddin (156), Sachin Tendulkar (140), Rahul Dravid (124), and Suresh Raina (102) are the others on the list.
