I asked Mahi bhai what to bowl ahead of my hat-trick ball against Australia, discloses Kuldeep Yadav
Indian wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav recalled how Virat Kohli changed his end before the hat-trick against Australia in 2017, which helped him get back his rhythm. Kuldeep also stated that he sought MS Dhoni's advice just before the hat-trick ball, given the tonnes of variations that he has.
Taking a hat-trick is always special for any bowler. It doesn't happen too often and whenever it does, it feels like a big achievement for the bowler in question. For Kuldeep Yadav, he hasn't only done it once but twice in One-day internationals. No Indian has more hat-tricks than the Indian left-arm wrist-spinner in ODI cricket. The 25-year-old revealed the role played by Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni in the fruition of his first-hat-trick against Australia.
Recalling the 2017 Kolkata ODI game against Australia, Kuldeep said that he asked Virat Kohli to change his end, which the skipper duly did after sometime as Kuldeep was struggling to find his groove in the initial overs.
Ā āI remember I bowled the first few overs and I wasnāt comfortable bowling in half t-shirts. So, I went back to the dressing room and changed into my full-sleeve jersey. I spoke to Virat bhai and asked him if I could bowl from the other end. He said once Chahalās spell was over, I could bowl from that end. I struck a very good rhythm and started bowling in the spot,ā Kuldeep said in a recent interaction on the Kolkata Knight Ridersā website.
The UP spinner had taken wickets of Matthew Wade, Ashton Agar and Pat Cummins in three consecutive deliveries to leave Australia struggling at 148/8 chasing a target of 253 runs, which proved too much for them. Kuldeep said that he went to MS Dhoni to seek his advice before the hat-trick delivery.
āI got my first wicket of Matthew Wade and then in the next ball, I plucked Ashton Agar. For the third ball, I asked Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) what to bowl. When you have so many variations, you get confused. He just let me do whatever I felt was right but suggested that I kept it to the stumps.
āI kept a slip and gully in place. Luckily I bowled a good ball and got the edge. Getting a hat-trick at Eden Garden, that too in the first year of international cricket, is a big thing and this was one of the biggest moments of my life,ā Kuldeep recalled.
Notably, Kuldeep scalped another hat-trick in ODIs in 2019 against West Indies in the home series. The left-armer will feature in KKR's side in the upcoming season of the IPL starting from September 19.Ā