Rarely has an Indian spinner been as devastating against Pakistan in an ODI as Kuldeep was on Tuesday. With his lovely drift, dip and turn he flummoxed the batters to grab five wickets as India recorded their biggest victory in ODIs against archrivals. He became only the third Indian spinner after Arshad Ayub (5/21 in 1988) and Sachin Tendulkar (5/50 in 2005) to claim a five-for against Pakistan in ODIs.

Also Read: Kuldeep Yadav unfazed by Team India snub despite performing well

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Frustrating knee recovery

Kuldeep was overjoyed by his performance against arch-rivals and said that it would be a lifelong memory for him. But, he said, he had to overcome a “frustrating” period of recovery following a knee surgery. 

“Post-surgery it was very frustrating for me. I was out for five months,” Kuldeep said at the post-match media interaction on Monday night.  

“To reach where I am today has not happened overnight. It has taken me a long time to get it right. When things were not going well for me there were a lot of suggestions from various quarters. But one thing I was sure about was my natural ability. I never wanted to lose the original zip, dip and drift,” Kuldeep said about the dilemma he faced after the surgery.

“I have been playing regularly for the past one and half years after my knee surgery. My run-up is a bit straight now. There is more aggression in my bowling, the approach to the crease is good, and earlier my bowling shoulder used to fall a lot. It’s under control now and it is now facing more towards the batsman,” Kuldeep added.