“Bazball can’t play him” – Fans erupt as Kuldeep Yadav bags a fifer in IND vs ENG Dharamsala Test

Kuldeep Yadav starred with the ball for India against England on Day 1 of the fifth Test at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Thursday, March 7.

The left-arm wrist-spinner bagged a fifer, completely dominating England’s top order. That came after visiting captain Ben Stokes had won the toss and opted to bat first in batting-friendly conditions. It was Kuldeep's fourth five-wicket haul in Test cricket, having previously picked one each against Bangladesh, Australia, and West Indies.

For the unversed, Kuldeep dismissed Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow, and Stokes to decimate England’s batting order. In the process, the UP-based cricketer has also become the fastest to 50 Test wickets (1871 deliveries), breaking Axar Patel’s record (2205 balls).

Kuldeep had earlier bagged 12 wickets in three Tests of the ongoing series before this game. Fans on X (formerly Twitter) lauded Kuldeep Yadav for dominating England batters on a belter. One user wrote:

“Bazball can’t play him.”

Here are a few more reactions:

Kuldeep Yadav’s fifer helps India dominate England in second session of Day 1

A clinical bowling display helped India dominate England in the second session of Day 1 in the fifth Test. Resuming after Lunch at 100/2, the visitors were reduced to 194/8 at Tea on the opening day. At the time of writing, Ben Foakes and Shoaib Bashir were at the crease with the scorecard reading 208/8.

England opener Zak Crawley starred with the bat for England, scoring 79 runs off 108 balls, hitting a six and 11 boundaries. Ben Duckett (27 off 58), Joe Root (26 off 56), and Jonny Bairstow (29 off 18) got starts but failed to play a big knock.

Apart from Kuldeep Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin bagged two wickets, while Ravindra Jadeja took the prized scalp of Joe Root.

Team India are already 3-1 ahead in the ongoing five-match Test series. The hosts beat England by five wickets in the fourth Test in Ranchi to seal the series.

Follow the IND vs ENG Dharamshala Test live score and updates here.