In their first Asia Cup 2025 match, India dominated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) thanks to a spectacular bowling effort from Kuldeep Yadav, who claimed four wickets, including three in one over.
After the game, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar bemoaned Kuldeep's unfortunate destiny in Indian cricket. Despite frequently being benched for extended periods of time, Manjrekar praised Kuldeep for his performance and made a joke about him maybe being benched again following a strong showing against the UAE.
"Now that Kuldeep Yadav has taken three wickets in one over, he will not play the next game, because that's how India treats him," joked Manjrekar, speaking on Sony Sports.
"When he plays well, he gets dropped. He got four wickets, so there's no way he's going to play the next match," Manjrekar added.
"I'm kidding, but this is what Kuldeep Yadav's career is all about. In between getting dropped, he does some real magic. When you look at his numbers, be it Tests or ODIs or T20Is, they are incredible. But he is one of the dispensable players in the Indian side, but that's his fate," Manjrekar said.
Kuldeep's statistics support what Manjrekar said. Kuldeep made his debut in 2017, but he has only played 13 Test matches and 41 Twenty20 Internationals thus far.
For a large part of his career, Kuldeep has had to contend with players like Yuzvendra Chahal, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin for the few available spinner slots in the Indian teams across all formats.
Kuldeep has an average of less than 27 in ODIs, just 22.16 in Tests, and an incredible 13.39 in T20Is, despite his sporadic appearances.
Kuldeep was the best bowler for the Indians on Wednesday, as they bowled out the United Arab Emirates for a mere 57.
The UAE's abrupt collapse was triggered by Kuldeep, who came in to bowl after the powerplay and claimed three wickets in the ninth over. UAE went from 48/2 to 50/5 in that over.
The UAE went on to lose the remaining five wickets quickly and finished up scoring just seven more runs. Their score of 57 was the second-lowest of all teams and their lowest-ever Asia Cup T20 total.
India achieved their biggest-ever victory by balls remaining as they chased down the target in just 4.3 overs. The 'Player of the Match' award went to Kuldeep for his outstanding middle overs performance.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
