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Australian legend Shane Warne was born on this day, 54 years ago. He was arguably one of the greatest cricketers of all time, and he was also one of the five Wisden leading cricketers of the century. He revolutionized the art of spin bowling.
The leg-spinner was an enigma - picking up 1001 wickets in his international career as a non-Asian spinner. His most iconic campaigns were the 1999 World Cup - where he won the Player of the Match in the semi-final and the final - and the 2005 Ashes. He was also a handy lower-order batter.
Kuldeep Yadav has returned to form in some style after having a couple of bad years in the 2020-21 period. The left-arm wrist-spinner is currently the team's first-choice spinner in the ongoing Asia Cup, having picked up 43 wickets in just 23 matches at an average of 18.91, a strike rate of 24.02 and an economy rate of 4.72 - since the start of 2022.
Warne shared a special bond with star India spinner Kuldeep Yadav. They spent some valuable time together when India toured Australia in 2018/19, where Yadav picked up a five-wicket haul in the rain-affected 4th Test at Sydney.
“Before the match started, we met in the tunnel. He put his hand on my shoulder, and said, 'I'll be in the commentary box. I want to see you smiling out there, I don't care how you bowl. I just want to see a smile on your face," Kuldeep told Sports Yaari, as he remembered the Sydney Test.
"So, all I tried to do out there was to smile. And because I was there with a positive mindset, I performed well as well. I dedicated my performance to him after the game, he has been my idol,” he added.
On that note, we look at three Shane Warne records Kuldeep Yadav can break.
#1 Career wickets (ODIs)
Shane Warne had an illustrious ODI career. He picked up 293 wickets in 194 matches at an average of 25.74, a strike rate of 36.32 and an economy rate of 4.25. Warne was a central figure in Australia's 1999 World Cup victory.
The 28-year-old Kuldeep Yadav has picked up 150 wickets in just 88 matches at an average of 25.64, a strike rate of 30.09 and an economy rate of 5.11. These are terrific numbers for a spinner bowling in the two new balls era.
Age is on Kuldeep Yadav's side. If he is capable of prolonging his consistency at the top level, he can definitely overtake his hero's career tally in the one-day format.
#2 Four wicket hauls (ODIs)
Shane Warne took 12 four-wicket hauls and 1 five-wicket haul in ODI cricket. 4 of the four-wicket hauls came in World Cups - 2 in 1996 & 2 in 1999. His career-best figures read 5/33 in 9.3 overs against the West Indies.
Kuldeep Yadav has already picked up 7 four-wicket hauls and 2 five-wicket hauls after having played less than half the games that Warne did. With a home World Cup coming up, the left-arm wrist-spinner would want to use the platform to get as close as possible to the 'King of Spin' in this regard.
#3 Wickets in a single World Cup edition (ODIs)
Although Shane Warne's greatness is primarily because of his success in Test cricket, he also stepped up big time for his team in World Cups. He has taken 32 wickets in 17 matches at an average of just 19.50, a strike rate of 30.53 and an economy rate of just 3.83. He picked up 20 in the 1999 edition of the tournament.
Kuldeep Yadav picked up just six wickets in the 2019 World Cup, despite being in terrific form coming into the tournament. The game against England also marked the start of a slump for the talented bowler. He would be looking to redeem himself in the upcoming World Cup in India.
