‘Sometimes you need that kind of magic’: Kuldeep Yadav finds his rhythm, reminds why he remains a match winner

India’s Kuldeep Yadav (ANI Photo) Thiruvananthapuram: West Indies settled comfortably at 107 for no loss when Kuldeep Yadav was brought into the attack in the 16th over. Fourteen balls into his spell, West Indies opener John Campbell edged a tossed delivery to short fine leg to give India the breakthrough they needed.Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill later applaud for batting. But it was Kuldeep who helped India turn the game around at the Greenfield International Stadium with run, dip and guile.Kuldeep is a rhythm player. In his nine-year international career, whenever he makes an early impact, he reaps dividends. Sunday was an example of that. Kuldeep showcased his complete repertoire, from a tossed delivery over the batter’s eye line and a poor one to a quick fuller delivery. He displayed all his goods to finish with 4/40 to win the Man of the Match award.“Personally, I liked my rhythm. I was just changing the pace and trying to read the shots where they hit me,” Kuldeep said after India’s eight-wicket victory.“Sometimes you need that kind of magic to get your confidence back,” added the 31-year-old.For a man of Kuldeep’s skills, it is baffling why he gets so little match time. Since his debut in 2017, Kuldeep has taken 198 wickets in the format at an average of nearly 27. Of the 10 ODIs and 28 T20Is that India have played this year, he has featured in five and four games respectively.Even Kuldeep’s long career has been a start-stop affair, appearing sporadically in 19 Tests since his debut against Australia in Dharamshala in 2017.“Kuldeep needs to be handled carefully and used as a wicket bowler. The more he bowls the better as it will help him get into a rhythm. We were surprised that Kuldeep was on the bench for so many games. Kuldeep is a match winner and one of the few mystery bowlers in the world,” former Indian left-armer Venkatapathy Raju told TOI.Raju believes that Kuldeep is a master of deception that he is able to take out of the equation.“Sometimes due to team combinations you may have to drop Kuldeep. But you have to use him for all the key games. Kuldeep is India’s trump card in the 2027 World Cup because of his versatility and wicket-taking ability,” Raju added.