Kuldeep Yadav claims hat-trick for INDA against NZA: Key stats
Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav bagged a four-wicket haul (4/51) in the second unofficial ODI against New Zealand A on Sunday. The 27-year-old registered a hat-trick in the 47th over to fold NZA on 219. Notably, it was his maiden hat-trick for India A. INDA eventually seized a four-wicket win and clinched the series with a match to spare. We decode Kuldeep's List A stats.
Kuldeep outshines NZA in a must-win duel
Kuldeep got the better of Sean Solia in the 45th over. He then uprooted Logan van Beek (4), Joe Walker (0), and Jacob Duffy (0) to wind up the visitors in the first innings. Middle-order batter Joe Carter (72) top-scored for NZA. Later, Prithvi Shaw's masterclass (48-ball 77) laid the foundation for the 220-run chase (222/6) and a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Kuldeep clocks this feat
As per Kausthub Gudipati, Kuldeep now owns a hat-trick each at the India Under-19 and India A level. Besides, he has pocketed two hat-tricks for the national side in the 50-over format (vs Australia, 2017 and West Indies, 2019).
Kuldeep has dazzled since his international return
Kuldeep made a return to internationals after seven months on the West Indies tour in August. He bagged figures worth 3/12 in the fifth T20I, the only game he featured in the T20I leg. Meanwhile, he punched two dismissals in the ODIs before bagging three wickets in the Zimbabwe one-dayers. He was quite economical in Zimbabwe, with figures reading 0/36, 1/39, and 2/38.
Kuldeep's insane numbers in limited-overs cricket
Kuldeep's numbers in white-ball cricket are startling. He owns 112 ODI wickets from 69 games with the best match haul of 6/25. In T20Is, he averages 14.02, having taken 44 wickets. Kuldeep is still the fastest Indian spinner to take 100 ODI wickets, and the first-ever Indian to claim two international hat-tricks. His 6/25 remains the best figures by a left-arm spinner in ODIs.
Kuldeep has done reasonably well in Test cricket
Kuldeep was the first chinaman to represent the Indian men's team in Test cricket. He made the most of the limited opportunities. In fact, he took a four-wicket haul on his Test debut (2017) in front of Australia's star-studded batting attack. Till now, he has done reasonably well, taking 26 wickets from seven Tests at 23.84. He last featured against England in Chennai (2021).
