IND vs SA: 'Congrats on Fifer Birthday Boy': Mohammad Kaif Lauds Kuldeep Yadav After Impressive Show in 3rd T20I – News18

Kuldeep Yadav celebrated his 29th birthday in a spectacular fashion as the India spinner claimed a five-wicket haul during the third T20I game against South Africa on Thursday, December 14. It was the best bowling figures recorded by any cricketer on the occasion of his birthday in Men T20Is. Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has extended his heartfelt congratulations to Kuldeep on his historic achievement through a post on X (formerly Twitter). Kaif dropped an old selfie with the talented chinaman, featuring veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar alongside the duo. The caption of the post read, “Congrats on fifer birthday boy, Kuldeep Yadav.”

As per the current ICC rankings, Kuldeep Yadav ranks seventh on the list of the ODI bowlers. The journey, however, has not been so smooth for the left-arm spinner. Kuldeep first raised eyebrows during the 2014 Under-19 World Cup where he finished as India’s leading wicket-taker. He also recorded the first-ever hat-trick of the tournament during the campaign. The Kanpur-born cricketer made his debut for India in 2017, replacing captain Virat Kohli in a Test against Australia in Dharamshala.

Kuldeep earned his maiden call-up for the white-ball formats in the same year. Even after the emergence of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin as India’s first-choice spinners, Kuldeep got to feature at the 2019 ODI World Cup in England. But following an underwhelming performance in the tournament, he started falling in the pecking order.

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Kuldeep did not give up and worked hard on his techniques to make a roaring comeback to the team. He returned in an overseas Test series against Bangladesh in 2022 and picked 8 wickets in the opening match. Kuldeep also made the cut to the Indian squad that competed in the recently concluded ODI World Cup on home soil. He fetched 11 wickets in as many appearances at the showpiece event.

Kuldeep was able to replicate his red-hot form in the T20I series against South Africa. He took one wicket in the second game before appearing at his devastating best in the third T20I. As the wicket in Johannesburg offered assistance to the spinners, Kuldeep ripped through the South African batting order to secure a five-fer. Another India spinner Ravindra Jadeja also had a good outing, taking two wickets. Due to the demolition, South Africa were bowled out for 95 runs while chasing a mammoth 201-run target.