Yuzvendra Chahal had backed Kuldeep Yadav after the spinner endured one of his toughest ODI spells during India’s defeat to New Zealand in Rajkot.
Kuldeep Yadav endured one of his toughest outings in international cricket during the second ODI against New Zealand at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Wednesday, January 14.
Asked to bat first by New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell on a challenging surface, India posted 284/7 in their allotted 50 overs. While the Men in Blue managed to put runs on the board, the total appeared to be 20–30 runs short of a par score.
India made an encouraging start with the ball as Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna removed the New Zealand openers cheaply. Captain Shubman Gill would have hoped that Kuldeep Yadav would take control during the middle overs. However, the experienced left-arm wrist spinner struggled against two quality players of spin, Daryl Mitchell and Will Young.
Kuldeep eventually dismissed Young in the 38th over, but by then the Black Caps had already moved into a strong position. He finished his spell with figures of 1/82 in 10 overs, marking the third time he had conceded more than 80 runs in an ODI innings.
Chahal’s Praise For Kuldeep Yadav
Despite the difficult day, Kuldeep received strong backing from his former India teammate Yuzvendra Chahal. The Punjab Kings leg-spinner praised Kuldeep and described him as the best spinner in world cricket across formats.
“Kuldeep Yadav is no.1 SPINNER in whole WORLD! #Champion #AnyFormat @imkuldeep18,” Chahal wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
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India went on to lose the match by seven wickets as New Zealand chased down the target comfortably in 47.3 overs. Daryl Mitchell starred with an unbeaten 131 off 117 balls, which included 11 fours and two sixes. Will Young played a key supporting role with an 87-run knock off 98 deliveries.
With the series now level at 1-1, both teams will turn their focus to the decider. The third and final ODI is scheduled to be played at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Sunday, January 18.
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