"Kuldeep Yadav is an asset" - Fans erupt as wrist-spinner shines in IND vs AUS 3rd ODI

Kuldeep Yadav shone for Team India in the third ODI against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, March 22.

The left-arm wrist-spinner destroyed Australia’s middle order by taking the wickets of David Warner (23), Marnus Labuschagne (28) and Alex Carey (38). The 28-year-old finished with figures of 3/56 in his 10 overs.

Fans were delighted to witness Kuldeep Yadav’s sublime form ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup on home soil. So far, Yadav has scalped 15 wickets in eight ODIs in 2023. He took five and six wickets, respectively, against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in their three-match ODI series.

One fan tweeted:

"Kuldeep Yadav is an asset which has been completely wasted during 2019-2022."

Here are some of the other best Twitter reactions:

Speaking on the mid-match show, Yadav expressed his delight after dismissing Alex Carey with an absolute ripper. He said:

"I played the India A series here, so I knew the wicket was slow, so I was trying to spin the ball more. Those were the important wickets and especially I loved the one against Alex Carey."

He continued:

"I have been working on it, trying to bowl within the wickets, from there if I can spin the ball, so there is a lot of chance to get caught behind, there is a chance to get top-edge on slog just like David Warner did."

He also credited Hardik Pandya for destroying Australia's top order that helped the hosts restrict the visitors to under 300. Yadav said:

"The way Marsh started, probably thought they would get close to 300 but the way Hardik bowled, he got 3 wickets and got us back in the game. But it’s a slow track, so we have to bat carefully."

Kuldeep Yadav’s exploits come a day after AB de Villiers backed him to succeed on a spin-friendly wicket in Chennai. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former South African captain said:

“I think he'll feature in Chennai. There's a bit of a turn. He gives that flight, takes it both ways. It's tough to pick him, so he'll be a force to reckon with.”

The statement came even though Kuldeep took only a solitary wicket in the first ODI against Australia, which Team India won by five wickets. He managed to bowl just one over in the second ODI, where the visitors thrashed the hosts by 10 wickets by chasing 118 in just 11 overs.

Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya shine as Australia bundled out for 269

Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya shone for Team India as Australia were bundled out for 269 in 49 overs. Pandya and Kuldeep took three wickets each, while Axar Patel and Mohammed Siraj finished with a couple of dismissals each.

For Australia, Mitchell Marsh top-scored with 47 off as many deliveries, which included a six and eight boundaries.

If the Men in Blue win the series decider, they will register back-to-back series wins ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup. They previously registered clean sweeps against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in January.

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