Having been snubbed for all five Tests against England, Kuldeep Yadav played a starring role for India in their title-winning Asia Cup 2025 campaign. The Chinaman finished the Continental Cup with 17 wickets at an astonishing average of 9.29, and in the final played a pivotal role against Pakistan by taking 4/30 in four overs, helping Pakistan bundle out for just 146.
Kuldeep credits playing the first game in the Duleep Trophy as one of the key factors in helping getting into the groove.
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"When you have not played cricket for a long time, you need rhythm. That was important for me, and I played my first Duleep Trophy game in which I bowled a lot.
So, when I came for the tournament, my bowling was obviously going well," Kuldeep said during a chat with teammate Rinku Singh, the video of which was uploaded by BCCI on its website.
"My role was to control the runs in the middle overs and take wickets. The captain had a lot of faith in me, and I fulfilled my role very well," a pleased Kuldeep added.
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My motivation is to always give best for the country: Kuldeep Yadav
Notably, along with Axar Patel and Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep formed a formidable spin bowling partnership, which left the opposition teams clueless.
"I don't have fixed goals; my only motivation is to give my best, whenever I get a chance to bowl, and contribute to the team," Kuldeep said on his preparations for the continental tournament.
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Not only in the final, but in the full Asia Cup tournament, Kuldeep played a massive hand in choking the opposition in the middle overs. After the snub from the England series, the spinner wasted no time in making sure he is still the best in white-ball formats.
