Kuldeep Yadav Shines in Super 8, Compares IPL and World Cup Pressure

Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm chinaman bowler, has emerged as a key player for India in the Super 8 stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup. Despite missing the entire group stage, Kuldeep has made an immediate impact, picking up five wickets in two matches.

After scalping three wickets against Bangladesh, Kuldeep drew a comparison between the pressure of playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the pressure of a World Cup. "IPL is completely different, boss. It's totally different," said Kuldeep. "What you experience in IPL is not what you're experiencing in T20 World Cup."

Kuldeep enjoyed a brilliant season with Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024, picking up 16 wickets in 11 games. However, he was surprisingly left out of India's XI in their first group game against Ireland.

In the Super 8, Kuldeep has been on fire. After getting two wickets against Afghanistan, he picked up three crucial wickets against Bangladesh. The 29-year-old got the wickets of opener Tanzid Hasan, the experienced Shakib al-Hasan, and the in-form Towhid Hridoy. He finished with figures of 3-19 from his four overs.

Kuldeep emphasized that spinners need to be aggressive to succeed in the shortest format. "In this format (T20), you have to read what the batters are trying to do, but be more aggressive. The length matters a lot. The aggression is helping me through the IPL and the T20 World Cup," he said.

With wins over Afghanistan and Bangladesh, India boast a very healthy net run rate in their Super 8 group and are almost certainly going to make the semis of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Tags: #KuldeepYadav, #T20WorldCup, #Super8, #India, #Spinners