ICC World Cup 2023 | Kuldeep Yadav - Records, Profile & SWOT Analysis
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Kuldeep Yadav will be key player for India in World Cup (OneCricket Design team)
' Batters win you games, bowlers win you tournaments' - we have often heard this statement from cricketers around the world, it signifies the importance that quality bowlers hold in any big multilateral tournament and with World Cup around the corner, let's talk about India's premier bowler - Kuldeep Yadav. He has plethora of variations and has the rare ability to bamboozle best of the batters on the flattest of the pitches and whole India would be banking on Kuldeep to deliver in this home World Cup.
He has the experience of playing the 2019 World Cup as well which was held in England and with spinners set to play a bigger role in India, all eyes will be on Kuldeep Yadav and his exploits in the middle overs. So, let's analyze different aspects of Kuldeep Yadav - the cricketer and the value he holds for the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team.
Kuldeep Yadav Player Profile
Kuldeep Yadav turned lot of heads in international cricket when he burst onto the scene in 2017 and soon became an integral part of India's ODI side leading into the World Cup 2019. The duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, popularly known as Kul-Cha produced some memorable performances and Kuldeep with age on his side and all the skills in the world, looked all set to dazzle in the World Cup.
Kuldeep Yadav will be lead spinner for India in WC (AP Photos)
However, Kuldeep could take only 6 wickets in 7 matches he played in the World Cup and his form dropped drastically. However, after two years of struggling for form and fitness, he got his mojo back in 2022 and has returned into Indian side with better adaptability and some important technical changes.
Kuldeep Yadav Records
Kuldeep Yadav has overall 152 wickets in 90 ODIs with brilliant bowling average of 25.62 and a strike rate of 29.9. He has seven 4-wicket hauls with two five-fers as well and is a true match-winner on his day.
| Format | Matches | Wickets | Economy | Bowling avg | Bowling SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In ODIs | 90 | 152 | 5.13 | 25.62 | 29.9 |
| In ODI WC | 7 | 6 | 5.02 | 56.16 | 67 |
Kuldeep Yadav SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Genuine wicket-taker - Kuldeep Yadav is a rare talent and whenever he is on song, he can run through best of the batting line-ups in the world. He is a genuine wicket-taker and has the ability to produce wicket-taking deliveries when nothing seems to be happening in the game. He has been exceptional in ODI cricket in middle overs and from overs 11-40, he has picked 126 wickets since 2017, the most by any bowler from a full-member nation.
Plethora of variations - Kuldeep is a big turner of the ball and to add to that quality, he has developed plenty of variations over the years. His stock delivery that comes into the right-hander is dangerous but his googly and the quicker one along with different angles he has started using in recent times has made him quite lethal.
Weaknesses
Gets under pressure when opposition attacks early - Kuldeep Yadav has the tendency to lose his control and confidence when he gets hit early in his spell. This has been his problem for quite a long time and though he has improved in recent times, he can still work on this facet of his bowling.
Sometimes can be too slow in the air - Kuldeep Yadav being a bowler who likes to give the ball some air and outfox opposition batters with his flight and guile, can sometimes overdo it and get hit for plenty. This was one of the main reasons why he was out from the Indian setup for sometime after initial success.
Opportunities
Chance to sizzle in home conditions - Kuldeep Yadav is India's lead spinner for World Cup 2023 and as mentioned before, whatever he does in the middle overs with the ball will go a long way in determining India's fate in the World Cup. The overs from 11-40 are where matches are mostly won and lost in an ODI game, so it is time for Kuldeep Yadav to stand up and deliver for India in a marquee event.
Threats
Bad memory of 2019 World Cup - Kuldeep Yadav went with very high expectations in the 2019 World Cup just like he is going into 2023 World Cup. However, he could not deliver to his billing in the 2019 edition and eventually lost his confidence and place in the Indian side. He has worked on his weakness since then but the bad memories of the previous World Cup might just haunt him, especially in the initial games.
Player Rating
Wicket-taking abilities - 8.9/10
Variations - 8.7/10
Economy - 7/10
Accuracy - 7.2/10
Experience - 7/10
Overall - 7.8/10
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