Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav, born on December 14, 1994, is an Indian cricketer known for his chinaman bowler spin bowling. Kuldeep represents India and plays for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket. In the Indian Premier League, he's part of the Delhi Capitals team. He's currently ranked as No. 10th in the ODI, 30th in T20I and 51th in Test by ICC as of September 2023.^[2]

Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav in 2014
Personal information
Born	(1994-12-14) 14 December 1994 (age 30) Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Nickname	Kullu, Kulcha
Height	5 ft 6 in (168 cm)[1]
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Left-arm unorthodox spin
Role	bowler
International information
National side	India (2017–present)
Test debut (cap 288)	25 March 2017 v Australia
Last Test	14 December 2022 v Bangladesh
ODI debut (cap 217)	23 June 2017 v West Indies
Last ODI	12 November 2023 v Netherlands
ODI shirt no.	23
T20I debut (cap 69)	9 July 2017 v West Indies
Last T20I	13 August 2023 v West Indies
T20I shirt no.	23
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2012	Mumbai Indians
2014–2021	Kolkata Knight Riders (squad no. 23)
2009–present	Uttar Pradesh (squad no. 3)
2022-present	Delhi Capitals
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 8 92 35 104 Runs scored 94 170 914 224 Batting average 10.44 10.00 22.85 10.18 100s/50s 0/0 0/0 1/6 0/0 Top score 40 19 117 25 Balls bowled 1,165 4,675 6,670 5,179 Wickets 34 155 134 171 Bowling average 21.55 25.65 29.76 25.24 5 wickets in innings 3 2 7 3 10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0 Best bowling 5/40 6/25 6/79 6/25 Catches/stumpings 3/– 15/– 14/– 16/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 12 October, 2023

His cricket journey includes playing for the Indian Under-19 cricket team and participating in the 2014 U-19 Cricket World Cup.^[3] A remarkable achievement came on December 18, 2019, when he became the first Indian bowler to record two hat-tricks in international cricket during a match against the West Indies.^[4]

Domestic Career

When Kuldeep Yadav first joined a cricket academy in Kanpur, he was inspired by Wasim Akram and Zaheer Khan and thus he began as a fast bowler. However, his coach Kapil Pandey suggested something unusual - switching to left-arm wristspin. This change wasn't easy, and Kuldeep even considered going back to fast bowling. But he soon realized that left-arm wristspin suited him better. He not only had good control over his deliveries but also mastered a tricky wrong'un.^[5][6]

In India, there haven't been many bowlers like him, so Kuldeep gained attention quickly, especially after performing well at the Under-19 level. He was eventually selected for 2014 U-19 Cricket World Cup. Kuldeep Yadav made a significant mark in the World Cup. He became India's top wicket-taker in the tournament and also achieved the rare feat of taking a hat-trick, a first for any Indian bowler in the history of this competition. This outstanding performance turned heads and caught the attention of cricket selectors, making it a pivotal (extremely important) moment for young Indian talent.^[7]