CHENNAI: Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav's figures of 5 for 17 enabled India to beat South Africa by 106 runs and level the T20I series 1-1. With the first game being washed out, the teams shared the trophy. India captain Suryakumar Yadav who was adjudged as the Player of the Match for his century was all praise for Kuldeep.
''We wanted to play some fearless brand of cricket. The idea was to bat first, put some runs on the board and defend. Happy that they showed some character. He (Kuldeep) is never happy. He is always hungry. It is a nice self-gift on his birthday,'' said Suryakumar Yadav.
The South African pitches generally have good bounce, carry and aid the fast bowlers, but the one at the Wanderers suited the spinners.
Kuldeep, who was celebrating his 29th birthday on Thursday, became the second Indian bowler to pick up multiple five-wicket hauls in T20Is after Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Kuldeep is the first Indian spinner to reach the coveted landmark.
''It turned out to be a special day. I have never thought about taking five wickets. I just wanted the team to win, which is more important," said Kuldeep after the win.
''I was concerned about my bowling because I was playing after some time, so I wanted to get my rhythm. It was perfect today (Thursday). The ball was coming out well from the hand and the conditions, too, suited the spinners a bit," he added.
Kuldeep's success in the shortest format could well be an indication that wickets could aid the spinners in the upcoming ODIs and Tests too.
''To be very honest, the wickets are very good for the spinners. The good thing about these wickets is that the ball comes on very quickly after pitching. So sometimes, you have to use your variations and if you get it right, then it is very difficult to pick," he noted.
Kuldeep last played in South Africa in 2018 and suffered a knee injury in 2021, for which he underwent surgery and was out of action for 6-7 months. However, he has been bowling well of late and getting plenty of opportunities to play across formats.
''In 2018, I was very new and after that, I struggled for a couple of years with my injury and post-surgery, I made a few changes in my bowling, especially in my run-up. Trying to be more aggressive and just trying to bowl much straighter and focussing on length."
India regular captain, Rohit Sharma, recently said that it took a lot of time for him to get over the loss in the ODI World Cup final to Australia. India had won 10 games in a row and were favourites to bag the cup. It would have been the same case with the rest of the squad.
''The first 7 to 10 days (post WC) were really tough. Whenever I woke up, the thought of losing the World Cup final was haunting me. But life changes and moves on,'' he said.
India will play the opening tie of the three-match ODI series at Johannesburg on Sunday.