IND vs ENG 2018: Kuldeep Yadav's Spell Best I Have Seen In A While In ODIs: Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli lavished praise on Kuldeep Yadav after the left-arm spinner blew away England in the first ODI at Trent Bridge.
The odds were firmly stacked against Kuldeep on a ground which has turned out to be nightmare for bowlers in recent times. Just about a month ago, England has smashed a world-record 481 for 6 against Australia, In 2016, the hosts had slammed 444 for 4 against Pakistan. However, Kuldeep exceeded all the expectations, picking up a career-best 6 for 25 to dismantle England.
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He was introduced in the attack after Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy gave England a flying start. The hosts were comfortably placed at 71 for 0 after ten overs when Kohli handed the ball to Kuldeep. The move paid off immediately as Kuldeep sent back Roy on the second ball of his first over. In his following over, he dismissed Bairstow and Joe Root to leave England reeling at 82 for 3.
A 93-run stand between Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes then steadied the ship for the hosts. But just when it looked the duo would guide England to a good total, Kuldeep made his mark again. The chinaman spinner dismissed both the set batsmen in quick succession to complete his maiden 5-wicket haul in ODIs. He then dismissed David Willey to finish with stunning figures of 6 for 25. Remarkably, he did not concede a single boundary during his ten overs.
As a result, England were all out for just 268. In reply, India romped home without appearing to break a sweat thanks to Rohit Sharma’s unbeaten 137 and a 75-run knock by Kohli.
Speaking after the game, Kohli praised Kuldeep. He also termed the spell as the best in a while.
“(The victory was) as clinical as it can be. We knew it was a really good wicket but wrist-spin in the middle overs would be tricky,” Kohli said at the post-match press conference.
“When they have 10 overs (to bowl) then they know they have the skills to have an impact, Kuldeep was outstanding, I don’t think I’ve seen a better ODI spell in a while.
“We want him confident because we know he can be a match-winner – 50 over cricket, if you don’t get wickets it’s very difficult,” he added.
It has been exceptionally hot in England and the dry conditions have helped India prosper – so far, they have won three out of the four games in England.
And Kohli sounded delighted with the weather.
“The weather has been lovely, very welcoming. It’s been good so far. It doesn’t feel like we away from home. There’s some tough cricket in front of us.”
