Kuldeep Yadav - Pakistan's biggest nightmare

Pakistan just can't play Kuldeep Yadav. Period. Before the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 final, they kept fearing Abhishek Sharma, but it was Kuldeep who ended up devouring them.

Pakistan was 113/1 and it looked like they were on track to post a big total. But then came Kuldeep and dismissed Saim Ayub. And suddenly, our arch-rivals remembered that they are, after all, Pakistan. In the next 33 runs, the entire team collapsed.

Kuldeep ended with 4 wickets, 3 of which came in the 17th over itself, giving away just 1 run — and that too was a wide. And this isn’t the first time he’s done something like this. Pakistan just hasn't been able to decode him for quite some time now.

Kuldeep has been India’s standout bowler in the entire tournament. He’s taken 17 wickets — the highest in this edition of the Asia Cup. No Indian bowler has ever taken more in the tournament’s history.

In the final, even Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya weren’t playing, so it was crucial for one of the Indian spinners to step up — and once again, Kuldeep rose to the occasion.

Kuldeep vs Pakistan in T20Is

Kuldeep has played 3 T20Is against them so far and taken 8 wickets at an excellent economy rate of 6.5. In 6 ODIs against Pakistan, he has bagged 15 wickets at just 3.8 runs per over.

In his very first T20I against Pakistan, which happened to be the group stage encounter of this Asia Cup, Kuldeep gave away just 18 runs in 4 overs and took 3 wickets to literally break Pakistan's back. In the Super Four game he bagged a wicket in the game vs Pakistan but he certainly saved his best for the ultimate showdown.

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And that wasn’t the first time he pulled something like this off. He's been quietly turning Pakistani batting line-ups into a pile of confused expressions. Remember the ODI Asia Cup in 2023? Kuldeep completely choked their run-chase with figures of 5 for 25, bowling them out for just 128. And that magical delivery to Babar Azam in the 2019 ODI World Cup - that wicket literally flipped the match on its head.

Overall, in 9 matches across formats against Pakistan, Kuldeep has picked up 23 wickets.

Kuldeep Yadav vs Pakistan (All Formats - T20Is & ODIs)

• T20Is: 3 matches, 8 wickets, economy 6.5
• ODIs: 6 matches, 15 wickets, economy 3.8
• All formats combined: 9 matches, 23 wickets

Match-by-match record vs Pakistan

1/37, 2/41, 2/32, 5/25, 2/35, 3/40, 3/18, 1/31 and 4/30

Man, it’s like he either has a personal grudge against Pakistan or some sort of cheat code, there’s no other explanation!

The Unfortunate Kuldeep

Despite good form, He has played just 39 T20Is since 2018, yet has picked up 74 wickets in them.

And it isn’t just the wickets that stand out, it’s the rate at which he gets them. His strike rate of 11.3 in this period is the best among all bowlers from full-member nations with a minimum of 50 wickets.

So, if the performance is this good, where’s the problem? Maybe his economy isn’t great? Well, let’s bust that myth too. Since 2018, Kuldeep’s economy has been a stunning 6.5. In an era of T20 cricket where 200+ scores have become normal, he’s going at just about 6 runs an over.

And here’s the painful part: despite these numbers, he had to wait almost a full year after the 2024 T20 World Cup final to play his next T20I. When he finally returned against the UAE, Kuldeep was literally unplayable, picking up 4 wickets in just 2.1 overs. In his second over, Kuldeep got 3 wickets to run through the UAE middle-order.

Kuldeep Yadav: India’s Trump Card

And it's not the case in T20Is only. Since wrapping up his IPL campaign in late May, Kuldeep had featured in just one competitive match before the Asia Cup opener vs the UAE. He spent the entire England Test tour on the bench, with his only real outing in nearly 4 months coming in the Duleep Trophy quarter-final for Central Zone against North East Zone.

Kuldeep doesn't get enough chances but when he does, he makes sure to make it big, and he is having an exceptional return to T20Is.

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