“Will always remember my 5-wicket haul performance against Pakistan”: Kuldeep Yadav 

Mohali (Punjab) [India], September 12 (ANI): India’s star spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who broke Pakistan’s batting line’s back in their Super Four clash, said that he will always remember his five-wicket haul performance against their traditional rival. 

Kuldeep weaved his magic with the ball against Pakistan, picking up a well-deserved 5-wicket haul to help Team India win by a huge margin of 228 runs. 

“If you take 5 wickets against a big team, you always remember that. Whenever I stop playing cricket, I will always remember that I had taken 5 wickets against Pakistan. This is a big thing because if you perform well against sides who play good spin, it motivates you a lot,” Kuldeep said in a post-match press conference. 

The eagerly-awaited Super Four match at the Asia Cup between India and Pakistan was stretched into a Monday’s reserved day after rain washed out the majority of play on Sunday.

“It becomes a bit difficult to play when the game gets disrupted due to rain. Players always have to be ready to play if the conditions allow. We were all excited to play and complete the game. I was just thinking about bowling at a good length. Focusing on rhythm and this is more important for me and a bit more aggressive as well,” Kuldeep added. 

“Since the injury, the run-up has become straight and the rhythm has become aggressive. After surgery, everything was very frustrating for me because I was out for 5 months. I am really happy with my performance. One and a half year has been amazing, I was not thinking about the playing XI. Just enjoying my bowling. I have been working on length because it matters a lot,” said the spinner. 

Coming to the match, fiery centuries from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul followed by Kuldeep Yadav’s five-wicket haul powered India to 228 runs win over their traditional rival Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023 Super Four clash here at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Monday.

Kuldeep bagged his second ODI five-for as India clinched a huge 228-run win – Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf didn’t come out to bat in Pakistan’s chase. With this mammoth victory, India clinched the top spot in of Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s table.

Earlier, Virat Kohli’s vintage performance and KL Rahul’s unbridled century powered India to 356/2 against arch-rivals Pakistan in their Asia Cup Super Four clash.

Captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill’s half-centuries laid the foundation for India, while the unbeaten 233-run partnership between Kohli and Rahul added the icing on the cake as the former skipper finished the innings in style with a maximum.

Kohli finished his innings with an unbeaten 122, which came from 94 deliveries, while Rahul smashed a fiery 111 of 106 balls.