The three-match ODI series between India and Australia has now reached an interesting phase with the series levelled at 1-1 with a match to go. After losing the first ODI at Mumbai, team India bounced back to clinch the Rajkot ODI. They won the match by 36 runs.
The final match of the series scheduled to be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru now becomes the series decider. The team which manages to win the match will clinch the series.
A lot of credit for helping India come back in the series goes to Kuldeep Yadav who picked two wickets in an over to tilt the balance of the match in India’ s favour.
This is how Kuldeep titled the balance of the match
The chinaman bowler first picked up the wicket of Alex Carey. Carey along with Steve Smith was staging a partnership which was helping Australia reach closer to the target. It was then that Kuldeep, who had come in to bowl the 38th over, picked two wickets and changed the narrative of the match.
After dismissing Carey by forcing him to play a loose stroke and getting him caught, Kuldeep Yadav picked up the wicket of danger man Steve Smith who was batting well for 98 runs.
Smith tried to cut a Kuldeep delivery but the bowl picked up the inside edge of the bat and hit the wickets. As soon as Smith got out, it was India who were the favourites to win.
Fastest Indian spinner to reach 100 ODI wickets
Prior to taking the field at Rajkot, Kuldeep needed one wicket to reach 100 ODI wickets. As soon as Yadav dismissed Carey he became the fastest Indian spinner to reach the milestone. Yadav reached the milestone in 58 ODIs breaking Harbhajan Singh’s record who reached there in 76 ODIs.
Third fastest Indian bowler
Although Yadav is the fastest Indian spinner to reach the milestone, he is the third fastest Indian to reach 100 ODI wickets. Faster than Kuldeep are Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami who reached 100 wickets in 57 and 56 matches respectively.