Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel praised Kuldeep Yadav after the left-arm wrist-spinner returned figures of 4/40 in the first ODI against West Indies on September 27.
Kuldeep Yadav produced a match-turning spell in the first ODI of the three-match series between India and West Indies at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, on Sunday, September 27. The left-arm wrist-spinner finished with figures of 4/40 in 10 overs, including one maiden, as India went on to defeat West Indies by eight wickets.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel took to X to react to the performance. Posting from his official social media handle, Patel shared his perspective on the spell by the Indian spinner that featured figures of 10-1-40-4 against a formidable Caribbean batting unit.
"Some bowlers take wickets. Some change the game. Kuldeep Yadav does both.That is the value of an attacking wrist-spinner in the middle overs," Parthiv wrote for Kuldeep on social media.
Kuldeep's wicket-taking burst from 176 for 1
West Indies had built a strong platform before Kuldeep's intervention. Openers John Campbell and Justin Greaves put on 135 runs for the first wicket, and the visitors were placed at 176 for 1 when Kuldeep began his wicket-taking burst. From that position, he took four of the next five wickets to fall, engineering a massive collapse for the visitors.
Kuldeep's four victims were Campbell, who scored 62 off 60 balls; West Indies captain Shai Hope (12 off 11), Greaves, who had just completed his maiden ODI century of 101 off 108 balls, including 12 fours; and Jewel Andrew (0 off 1), who was dismissed for a duck off the very next delivery after Greaves fell. Despite the collapse, Amir Jangoo scored an unbeaten 58 off 43 balls, hitting 7 fours and 1 six, to help the West Indies post 295/7 in their 50 overs.
India's bowling attack in the first ODI
Kuldeep was playing his first ODI after being absent from India's previous series against England. India captain Shubman Gill, who won the toss and chose to bowl, held Kuldeep back to bowl with an older ball, even after debutant Naman Dhir had already bowled. Kuldeep was awarded the Player of the Match for his efforts.
Among the other India bowlers, Prasidh Krishna took 2/60, and Nitish Kumar Reddy claimed 1/45. Jasprit Bumrah was absent from the squad for this match. The Men in Blue chased down the target of 296 with eight wickets in hand to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.