Kuldeep Yadav is the nightmare that keeps recurring to Pakistan batsmen. The latest–three wickets for 18 runs in Dubai–reflected as much as Kuldeep Yadav’s grip over the batsmen from Pakistan as his evolution from a magical to masterful spinner. It was Kuldepp Yadav’s T20I against the neighbours, but his white-ball figures against the neighbours read are dread-inducing.
Eight games; eighteen wickets, 10 runs for a wicket, an economy rate of 4.2. Kuldeep Yadav has not just confused the batch of Salman Ali Agha, but also the more famous ones of a past Pakistan is trying to erase.
India left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav revealed the secret behind his dominance over Pakistan after another match-winning spell against arch-rivals in Asia Cup 2025. Playing his first T20I against the Men in Green, Kuldeep Yadav continued his form from the first fixture against UAE and scalped three wickets to trigger a Pakistan’s batting collapse.
He registered match figures of 3/18 in four overs and helped restrict Pakistan to 127/9 in their allotted 20 overs after they opted to bat first. India eventually won the match by seven wickets and Kuldeep Yadav was adjudged Player of the Match for his sensational spell.
Coming into the fixture, Kuldeep Yadav had scalped 15 wickets from six innings in ODIs against Pakistan and continued his dominance in his maiden outing against the arch rivals in T20Is as well. It was the second successive Player of the Match award for Kuldeep Yadav who’s now the leading wicket taker of the tournament with seven wickets from two matches.
The latest example came against Pakistan, which could only muster a meagre 127 for nine in its Asia Cup 2025 contest against India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. While the sluggish surface may not have encouraged flamboyant stroke-making, the degree of turn was far from alarming.
Yet, Pakistan’s batters fumbled by retreating into a shell and allowed Kuldeep Yadav to wreak havoc. Although the Indian spinner was encountering the archrival for the first time in T20Is, he has 15 wickets in seven ODIs in this face-off.
Kuldeep Yadav was playing a T20I for India for the first time since last year’s T20 World Cup final and now, with stellar performances,he might have created a selection headache for his captain . Arshdeep Singh sat out as India went with just three frontline bowlers, and Bumrah was the only fast bowler.
The massive wins in the first two matches took India to the Super 4s with one match remaining and Kuldeep Yadav becoming the eye catching player in both the matches. Amazed with his bowling spell, Former Indian Assistant Coach Abhishek Nayar has revealed stunning secrets regarding Kuldeep Yadav’s efforts to mark his road to success in the Asia Cup 2025.
Abhishek Nayar makes stunning revelation regarding Kuldeep Yadav’s resurgence
Former India cricketer and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has revealed that in recent times, Kuldeep Yadav has practised bowling on sand, where the ball would stop a bit, adding that he changed his run-up as well to ensure he is effective on Dubai pitches in the continental tournament. Kuldeep Yadav has been in outstanding form in the Asia Cup, claiming Player of the Match awards in both victories for India.
During an interaction on Sony Sports, Nayar said that Kuldeep went through hard times, but his childhood coach made things easier for him.
“Maine baat cheet ki thi unse ki kya kiya tha unhone. Woh kaafi interesting hai kyunki woh ret pe gendbaazi karte they jahan pe pitch banaya nahin hai, taaki vahan pe gend jo ruk ke aati hai, vahan tez daalenge toh unko aur bite milega (I spoke to him. It’s exciting, he used to bowl on sand where the ball stops. He bowled with speed to gain more bite),” Nayar said.
“That is one thing. He (Kuldeep) also changed his run-up; the angle at which he ran he made it straight. Also, he jumped a bit too much before, which has changed, allowing him to transfer a lot more momentum,” Nayar added.
The former India assistant coach said that although there were a bunch of critics, Kuldeep Yadav had the support of his childhood coach who knew how to keep the star Indian spinner in the mix and ready for success.
“Aur kaafi log kaafi kuch keh rahe the. But you always have a coach, jo aapko bachpan se jaanta hai (A lot of people were saying plenty of things. But when you have a coach, who you know from the beginning, it is easier),” Nayar said.
“He helped Kuldeep and whatever you are seeing is the result of his hard work,” the former India assistant coach added.
Kuldeep Yadav the 30-year-old also played an intergral role in the Men in Blue’s Champions Trophy victory earlier this year, claiming seven scalps in five games at 31.86.
For the best wrist-spinners, creating an illusion of spin when there is precious little is an essential part of their beguiling craft. They manage to do so by combining the nuances of drift, flight, and dip with subtle changes in the point of release, luring batters into their trap, hook, line and sinker. At his pomp, Shane Warne, who could spin the ball a mile on most surfaces, was a master of deception.
In recent times, Kuldeep Yadav has belonged to this top breed. It is a different matter that the 30-year-old from Kanpur, for reasons often unfathomable to the observer, hasn’t consistently found game time at the highest level. Whenever he is in India’s blue shade or creamy whites, however, wickets are invariably snared through the wizardry of his left wrist.
For Kuldeep Yadav to hit his straps straightaway in the continental event is a testament to his skill and maturity. He had been consigned to carrying drinks all through India’s recent five-Test series against England. In the shortest format, too, the fixture against the UAE was his first for India since the T20 World Cup final against South Africa in June 20.
With 2 wins in 2 matches , India is all but into the Super 4s stage of the Asia Cup. UAE beating Oman by 42 runs confirmed it officially as Suryakumar Yadav and his men could use their match vs Oman on the 19th as a practice game before the big Super 4s ahead.
Kuldeep Yadav was rewarded Player of the Match for his match winning performances and Kuldeep Yadav doesn’t complain, doesn’t throw tantrums, but whenever he gets the ball, he delivers. Against the UAE and Pakistan , it may have looked routine, yet every wicket, every subtle drift, was a quiet statement.
India’s spinner has waited, observed, and refined, letting the ball do the talking. Nights like these-when he crafts a spectacle out of spin, cunning, and control-are no longer rare. They are Kuldeep Yadav nights, nights when every batsman feels he is ready to pounce.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: Aakash Chopra Expects Arshdeep Singh To Not Feature Against Pakistan