Friday 17th Jan, 2025
New Delhi: Kuldeep Yadav joined an elite-list during the second India-Australia ODI in Kolkata. He became only the third Indian after Kapil Dev (1991) and Chetan Sharma (1987) to take a hat-trick in an ODI. After achieving the feat, Kuldeep had one man to thank – MS Dhoni. (India vs Australia 2nd ODI: HIGHLIGHTS)
Yadav dismissed Matthew Wade, Ashton Agar and Pat Cummins in the 33rd over to help India defeat Australia by 50 runs and go 2-0 up in five-match series. (India vs Australia 2nd ODI: SCORECARD)
After the match, Kuldeep revealed that all was not well before he achieved the historic feat. He added that the memory of Glenn Maxwell hitting him three sixes in the first ODI was haunting him.
READ | Kuldeep Yadav takes hat-trick in India vs Australia ODI, 3rd Indian to do so
“Initially I was struggling to bowl in a particular area. It’s a game of cricket, everything happens. Last match, where I was hit for three sixes in an over, was a learning experience. I asked Mahi bhai what I should bowl, he said ‘tujhe jaisa lagta hai wo daal (bowl what you want)’. This (hat-trick) is special for me, changed the game for us. It’s a really proud moment,” Kuldeep said after the match.It was not the first time that Yadav took a hat-trick for his country. He had become the first Indian to take a hat-trick in the U-19 World Cup, achieving the feat against Scotland in the 2014 edition.
India captain Virat Kohli was also happy with Kuldeep’s show. “Two young spinners (Kuldeep and Yuzvendra Chahal) bowling with a lot of heart, speaks volumes about their characters. Really augurs well for us how the team is shaping up,” Kohli said.