At the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Thursday, December 14, Kuldeep Yadav shone with the ball as India defeated South Africa by 106 runs. Remarkably, the wristspinner with the left arm won the match on his 29th birthday.
Yadav concluded with a remarkable 17/5 in just 2.5 overs. The valuable scalps of Donovan Ferreira and David Miller were included in the fifer.
Kuldeep took his second five-wicket haul in Twenty20 Internationals, sharing the record with Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the most for India in the 20-over format.
In the second Twenty20 International against the Proteas, Kuldeep claimed one wicket. He has claimed nine T20I wickets in 2023. That followed an outstanding performance in 11 ODIs at the 2023 World Cup, when he claimed 15 wickets. Now, he’ll try to continue his incredible form into the next three ODI matches.
Kuldeep Yadav’s fifer versus South Africa was appreciated by fans on X (previously Twitter). One user commented:
“Khud ko bday ka gift Diya yadav ji ne.. (Yadav has given himself birthday gift).”
Here are some more reactions:
“Nice self-gift on his birthday” – Suryakumar Yadav lauds Kuldeep Yadav
Following his match-winning session, India captain Suryakumar Yadav praised Kuldeep Yadav for his desire to take wickets. Suryakumar stated in his post-match interview:
“He (Kuldeep) is never happy. He is always hungry. It is a nice self-gift on his birthday.”
Suryakumar Yadav
India scored 201/7 in their allotted 20 overs after being asked to bat first. Suryakumar Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal were the batsmen. Yadav hit 100 runs off 56 balls, with eight sixes and seven boundaries. Meanwhile, Jaiswal hit 60 off 41 balls, including three maximums and six fours.
South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj and Lizaad Williams both took two wickets. Tabraiz Shami and rookie Nandre Burger both took one scalp.
The visitors responded by bundling out the Proteas for 95 runs in 13.5 overs. Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets in addition to Kuldeep Yadav’s fifer. Mukesh Kumar and Arshdeep Singh each took one wicket.
While captain Aiden Markram added 25 off 14 to lead South Africa beyond the finish line, David Miller led the team with 35 off 25.
India’s victory balanced the three-match T20I series at 1-1. The second T20I saw a five-wicket win for the home team, thanks to the DLS method. Unfortunately, the first match in Durban got rained out.
Both teams will resume their rivalry in the 1st ODI. The competition’s set for Sunday (December 17), same place.
