Kuldeep Yadav Turns 29: India’s Chinaman Bowler’s Journey, Stats, and Untold Secrets

Kuldeep Yadav has inched one step closer to his thirties as the Indian left-arm spinner celebrates his 29th birthday today, December 14. Born to a brick kiln owner in Unnao, Yadav received the full support of his father to pursue a cricket career. This saw him move to Kanpur as he began his domestic career.

Kuldeep’s humble roots and lower-middle-class background did not stop the cricketer from earning several accolades with India in the last few years including the 2018 and 2023 Asia Cup triumphs. Today let’s take a look at his journey and the records he has accumulated in his illustrious career. Kuldeep Yadav’s international career began in April 2012 when the then-17-year-old cricketer played his first U19 game.

However, his first major highlight didn’t come until the U-19 World Cup in 2014. Having remained wicketless in the opening game of the tournament, Kuldeep made the perfect comeback against Scotland by picking up a hattrick. He constantly troubled batters in the following games, finishing the tournament with 14 scalps.

This was also the joint-second-highest haul in the tournament. Kuldeep Yadav was later selected for India’s series against West Indies in 2014 but did not feature in any game. In March 2017, Kuldeep made his Test debut for India at the Dharamshala Cricket Stadium against Australia.

He had a phenomenal showing in his first match, becoming only the third left-arm wrist spin bowler to take four wickets on his debut. He made his first ODI appearance a few months later against the West Indies in July. Later that year, Kuldeep became the third Indian bowler to bag an ODI hat trick, putting himself alongside the likes of Kapil Dev and Chetan Sharma.

He did it against Australia at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata. As of today, Kuldeep has played a total of 101 ODIs and taken 167 wickets. He also has 34 Test wickets and 53 scalps in T20 internationals.

He was a crucial member of India’s 2023 ODI World Cup campaign which saw them reach the final before losing the trophy to Australia. Kuldeep has also been an absolute phenom in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He initially started as a part of the Mumbai Indians camp in 2012 but couldn’t earn a debut that year.

He was later signed by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014 and later represented the side in the Champions League Twenty20 that year. In 2018, Kuldeep produced one of his best seasons for KKR as he took 17 wickets in 16 matches. Four years later, he was bought by Delhi Capitals in 2022 which saw him peak with a 21-wicket haul that year.

Kuldeep has played a total of 73 matches in his IPL career while taking 71 wickets. Kuldeep Yadav is widely regarded as India’s chinaman bowler due to his unorthodox left-arm bowling technique. It is not just a rare occurrence in Indian cricket but the entire history of the sport.

What many might not know about the Indian spinner is the fact Kuldeep initially dreamt of becoming a pacer like Zaheer Khan and Wasim Akram. However, his cricket academy coach Kapil Pandey enabled him to switch to left-arm slow bowling, making him the star bowler he is today. The left-arm spinner also once revealed that he had to overcome a dark phase in his life when he wasn’t selected for the Uttar Pradesh Under-15 Team.

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