Kuldeep Yadav becomes the leading wicket-taker in ODIs this year
Kuldeep Yadav has become the leading wicket-taker in ODIs in the year 2023. He accomplished the milestone with his first wicket against South Africa in Match 37 of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in Kolkata. Yadav has now gone past Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane's tally of 43 scalps this year. Kuldeep took 2/7 in 5.1 overs as India beat SA by 243 runs.
Yadav goes at the top
Kuldeep has raced to 45 wickets in 25 ODIs this year at a sensational average of 17.77. While he has an economy rate of 4.51, the tally includes two four-wicket hauls and a fifer. As mentioned, he has overtaken Lamichhane to become the leading wicket-taker this year. Among Indians, pacer Mohammed Siraj trails Kuldeep on this list with 40 scalps.
Vital to India's win
Kuldeep's brilliance has been instrumental to Team India lately as 37 of his ODI wickets, before this match, have come in winning causes this year (19 matches). The spinner could only manage six scalps in five ODIs that featured him and India lost this year. No other bowler has claimed more ODI wickets in winning causes in 2023.
Fastest Indian spinner to 150 ODI wickets
In September 2023, Kuldeep became the fastest Indian spinner to accomplish 150 ODI wickets, getting the mark in 88 matches. He has now raced to 163 scalps in 98 games. Kuldeep averages 25-plus in ODIs as his economy rate reads 5.08. The tally includes seven four-wicket hauls and a couple of fifers. He has claimed 11 wickets in seven games in the ongoing WC.
Kuldeep can join this list
Kuldeep has a chance of becoming the fourth Indian bowler to claim 50 ODI wickets in a calendar year. He would join Anil Kumble (61 in 1996), Anil Agarkar (58 in 1998), and Ravindra Jadeja (52 in 2013). Meanwhile, 2018 is the only other year wherein Kuldeep scalped over 35 ODI wickets. He finished with 45 scalps that year.
