Kuldeep Yadav made a superlative comeback as India thrashed Bangladesh by 188 runs at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on Sunday, December 18. With this win, they took an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series.
Kuldeep, who last played a Test in February 2021, displayed his all-round brilliance as he scored 40 runs in India’s first innings before taking a five-wicket haul. The 28-year-old then bagged three more wickets in the second innings to take home the Player of the Match award.
Kuldeep Yadav was happy with his performance on his return and revealed that it was a lot more challenging to bowl in the second innings. Speaking at the end of the Test match, the Uttar Pradesh-born spinner said:
“To be very honest, I am happy with the performance, both with bat and ball. In the first innings, the pitch was quicker than the second innings. There was some pace in the first innings, but the second innings was very challenging. It was slower so I was trying to work on my rhythm and bowl quicker.”
Humbled and delighted to have contributed to the team's win. Chattogram ✔️ onto Dhaka next.#TeamIndia 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/w8HschA5Ql
— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) December 18, 2022
Kuldeep Yadav has now taken a five-wicket haul in India, Australia and Bangladesh despite playing in just eight Test matches. The left-arm leg-spinner asserted that he tried to be aggressive, which helped him massively.
“Probably more revs on the ball makes it challenging for the batters and it is difficult to step down and drive as well. I just worked on my rhythm, tried to be more aggressive and it’s helped me a lot. The action is the same, just trying to be aggressive in the rhythm,” he added.
India take one step closer to ICC World Test Championship final
A win in the first Test against Bangladesh helped KL Rahul and Co. rise to third spot in the latest World Test Championship table. They have now secured seven wins in 13 games, including four losses and two draws.
Team India are only behind table-toppers Australia and South Africa (subject to change after the ongoing AUS vs SA Test). The top teams at the end of the WTC cycle will play in the final next year.
India will look to continue their winning run in the second Test and move up the table in the ICC World Test Championship.
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