India
Kuldeep Yadav
Bowler
Cricket Professional
Nationality
India
Date of Birth
14-Dec-94
Player Profile
A dewy-eyed aspiring left-arm fast bowler with a build ill-suited for the job joined an academy in Kanpur with big dreams of becoming the next Zaheer Khan for India. After a considerable period of time, Kuldeep and his coach Kapil Pandey realised that his talents did not align with the task. Consequently, he was advised to take Robert Frost’s 'road less travelled’ - slow left-arm unorthodox, or wrist-spin.
Kuldeep, a rare breed of left-arm wrist-spin bowlers in the modern day, had revived the art out of its grave along with a handful of other young players. He set the 2014 Under-19 World Cup alight by becoming India's leading wicket-taker in the tournament, adding the distinction of becoming the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in the history of the tournament, considered to be a watershed for the Indian youth and started to attract the eye of the selectors. With regard to his potential, Kuldeep was given more exposure in the 2016 Duleep Trophy and he once again bamboozled the clueless batsmen. The young spinner ended the tournament with 17 wickets in three matches and played a major role in leading his side to the final of the tournament - a commendable feat for an alleged rookie.
Despite getting limited opportunities, Kuldeep’s traditional guile and equally unconventional style was now gaining recognition at the national level and he had delivered enough performances of substance to get a call-up to the Indian squad for the home Tests against Australia in 2017. He was handed the coveted Test cap by wrist spin wizard Anil Kumble in Dharamsala. Replacing an injured Virat Kohli, the young man comprehensively foxed the experienced Australian batsmen, who were clearly caught by surprise by the selection. Yadav finished with four wickets on debut, laying the platform for a decisive Indian win as the Border-Gavaskar trophy returned to India.
Kuldeep, a rare breed of left-arm wrist-spin bowlers in the modern day, had revived the art out of its grave along with a handful of other young players. He set the 2014 Under-19 World Cup alight by becoming India's leading wicket-taker in the tournament, adding the distinction of becoming the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in the history of the tournament, considered to be a watershed for the Indian youth and started to attract the eye of the selectors. With regard to his potential, Kuldeep was given more exposure in the 2016 Duleep Trophy and he once again bamboozled the clueless batsmen. The young spinner ended the tournament with 17 wickets in three matches and played a major role in leading his side to the final of the tournament - a commendable feat for an alleged rookie.
Despite getting limited opportunities, Kuldeep’s traditional guile and equally unconventional style was now gaining recognition at the national level and he had delivered enough performances of substance to get a call-up to the Indian squad for the home Tests against Australia in 2017. He was handed the coveted Test cap by wrist spin wizard Anil Kumble in Dharamsala. Replacing an injured Virat Kohli, the young man comprehensively foxed the experienced Australian batsmen, who were clearly caught by surprise by the selection. Yadav finished with four wickets on debut, laying the platform for a decisive Indian win as the Border-Gavaskar trophy returned to India.