World Cup 2023, [WATCH]: Kuldeep Yadav sends back Saud Shakeel and Iftikhar Ahmed in single over

Amidst the electrifying atmosphere of a high-octane showdown between traditional rivals India and Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Team India delivered a masterful display with the ball in Match 12 of the ICC World Cup 2023.

Despite Pakistan’s promising start, the Men in Blue swiftly bundled up the Green Team, limiting them to a mere 191.

Pakistan’s innings

India won the toss and chose to field first. The start wasn’t ideal for the hosts as Pakistan’s openers, Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq, played some attractive shots, putting up a 41-run partnership before Shafique was dismissed by Mohammed Siraj in the eighth over.

Babar Azam, Pakistan’s captain, came in at number three, and despite Imam’s promising start, he fell for 36. Mohammad Rizwan joined Babar, and the duo crafted 82-run partnership for the third wicket, with Babar achieving his maiden ODI fifty against India.

Siraj returned for his second spell and broke the partnership by dismissing Babar for 50. Kuldeep Yadav took his first wicket when he dismissed Saud Shakeel for six. Iftikhar Ahmed also fell for four, bringing Kuldeep his second wicket.

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma reintroduced Jasprit Bumrah into the attack, and it paid off as Bumrah took the important wicket of Rizwan for 49 with an off-cutter.

Pakistan continued to lose wickets, with Mohammad Nawaz scoring just 4 runs before being dismissed. The Indian team swiftly wrapped up the Pakistan tail as Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Haris Rauf, leading to Pakistan’s total of 191.

Kuldeep Yadav’s phenomenal spell

Kuldeep delivered a truly exceptional spell of bowling against Pakistan, leaving cricket enthusiasts in awe. In his 10-over stint, he conceded only 35 runs while claiming two crucial wickets, achieving an astonishing economy rate of 3.50.

The left-armer dismissed Saud leg-before-wicket (LBW) and cleaned up Iftikhar in his eighth and 33rd over of the innings. His precision, control and ability to deceive the batters were on full display, making him a key contributor to India’s phenomenal performance.

Also WATCH: World Cup 2023 – Mohammed Siraj bowls an absolute ripper to help India get rid of Babar Azam during IND vs PAK clash

Here are the video of Kuldeep’s wickets:

Saud Shakeel

Kuldeep delivered a shorter delivery that veered towards the leg side. Saud moved deep into his crease, intending to defend the ball. However, the ball sneaked past the inside edge of the bat and struck him on the knee roll of his front pad. Despite the initial on-field decision from the umpire of “Not out,” India decided to take a review. Upon review, it was evident that the ball would have gone on to hit the stumps, resulting in the LBW dismissal.

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Iftikhar Ahmed

On the last ball of the 33rd over, Kuldeep unleashed a deceptive googly, pitching it down the leg side. Iftikhar decided to employ the sweep shot and got down on one knee to execute it. However, his timing was slightly off, and he couldn’t connect the bat with the ball. Instead, the ball made contact with his gloves and deflected onto the stumps.