Indian left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav credited fellow left-arm spinner Axar Patel for playing a key role in his performance during the Asia Cup 2025 match against Pakistan on Sunday, September 14. The 30-year-old revealed that Axar’s advice to impart more revolutions on the ball helped him pick up several wickets in the first innings.
Kuldeep delivered an impressive spell of 3/18 in his four overs, which was instrumental in restricting Pakistan to 127/9 in 20 overs. Speaking to BCCI.TV, he said:
“He’s my captain (Axar Patel). It is very important but there are a lot of small things. Just like today, when we were bowling, you told me to put more revs on the ball as it is gripping and spinning. Those words struck me. I had bowled only one over, and I thought I should try and spin the ball. That would give me more bounce. You had taken two wickets, and I took three, which made it a total of five wickets. It became a collective team effort.”
“But I have to give you special credit. You bowled really well. Perhaps you got an idea, as you had bowled before and knew the conditions.”
Axar explained that he realised his bowling speed was allowing batters to attack him easily. Therefore, in the match against Pakistan, he decided to slow down his deliveries and impart more revolutions on the ball.
“Obviously, like we played in the last match, every new match has a different wicket. But when I played the last match, I felt that the speed I was bowling was becoming easy for the batters. I assessed that and thought I would try to bowl a bit slower in the first over and give the ball the revs. It worked,” he said.
Kuldeep Yadav Reveals Preparations In England Before Asia Cup 2025
Kuldeep Yadav has become the top wicket-taker in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, claiming seven wickets in just two matches. The left-arm wrist-spinner attributed his success to the training, fitness, and bowling work he focused on during the England tour. The 30-year-old said:
“It feels great, especially when you play after a long time. The hard work I put in for two months in England, in terms of training, fitness, and bowling. I focused on all the numbers that were important and I knew might get a chance to play in the Asia Cup because the conditions were favourable. But it is important to get into that rhythm and execute your plans repeatedly. That’s very important”.
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