‘We could have broken many more records together’: Kuldeep Yadav’s heartfelt message to Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav (Image credit: X) NEW DELHI: The numbers may have shifted in his favour, but Kuldeep Yadav would have preferred a different story – one in which he and Yuzvendra Chahal continued to chase wickets together, building on a partnership that has become one of India’s most iconic spin combinations.In a nostalgic interaction with his former partner ahead of the second T20I against West Indies in Ranchi on Friday, Kuldeep opened up about how he got past Chahal in India’s T20I score and admitted that the milestone did not bring him pure happiness.“I am not particularly excited about it. I would have preferred that we played together because we could have broken many more records together,” Kuldeep told Chahal during an interaction with JioStar. Kuldeep now has 97 wickets from 56 T20Is, one more than Chahal’s 96 from 80 matches.The left-arm wrister also spoke warmly about the bond he shared on the field with the pair popularly known as ‘KulCha’. Chahal, who announced his retirement from red-ball cricket earlier this month, is part of the telecast team for the ongoing series.“But it is also good to watch you from the other end now. Whenever you are around, there is always a great atmosphere while playing and I also learn a lot about bowling from you. I will always be grateful for that,” said Kuldeep.

The ‘KulCha’ binding remains special

The partnership between Kuldeep and Chahal has flourished across formats, with the two wrist spinners regularly troubling opposition batsmen with their contrasting styles and ability to attack in tandem. Their success made “KulCha” a household name among Indian cricket fans.While Kuldeep continues to feature in India’s white-ball plans, Chahal’s presence on the other side of the microphone has offered an opportunity to revisit their partnership and the records they could achieve together.Kuldeep also reflected on his return to T20 cricket after a long break and acknowledged that adapting to the longer white-ball format required adjustments to his pace and bowling length.“The last time I played a T20 match, my rhythm was more like that of ODI cricket. In ODIs, you always have more time to spin the ball and more opportunities to do so,” he explained.“So if you look at my first two overs, I bowled with a bit more loop because I haven’t played T20 cricket for a while. But that’s no excuse. When you change formats, you have to plan accordingly.”Kuldeep felt his control improve as the innings progressed. “I think I showed better control in my last two overs and moved my lengths back a bit. Those are the little adjustments you have to make. I’m sure I’ll continue to make them.”

Kuldeep’s plan against the powerful West Indies hitters

With West Indies boasting some powerful batsmen, Kuldeep said his approach remained focused on controlling the length and denying the batsmen the freedom to swing.“We played a lot of matches together and our discussions always revolved around one thing: hitting the right length and not giving the batsmen a chance to free their hands,” he said.“That’s what I try to do – stick to my length, keep the ball in the right areas and not give them room to swing free.”He added that even a slight mistake could prove costly against the West Indies batsmen. “The bats generate so much power with their speed that even a slightly overstepped delivery can disappear over the boundary.”Kuldeep also playfully responded when Chahal asked if he would celebrate his 100th wicket in a pose inspired by his former partner.“Absolutely, I’ll do my best to pose like you if I get those wickets!” he replied, before stressing that team success remains his priority.“Achieving the milestone is definitely important, but I don’t focus too much on that. I just want the game to go well for our team and have a good run. That’s more important.”