Thiruvananthapuram, September 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Kuldeep Yadav admitted he felt awkward receiving the Player of the Match award after Virat Kohli produced a match-winning unbeaten 139 in the first ODI against the West Indies, despite the spinner’s four-wicket haul helping India restrict the visitors before an eight-wicket victory.
Kuldeep returned figures of 4/40 from his 10 overs and broke the West Indies’ 135-run opening partnership by dismissing John Campbell. He then removed captain Shai Hope, centurion Justin Greaves and Jewel Andrew to derail the visitors’ innings in the middle overs.
India chased down the target comfortably, with Kohli remaining unbeaten on 139 off 88 balls and Shubman Gill scoring 110. Kohli also became the latest Indian batter to cross the 15,000-run mark in ODI cricket.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Kuldeep said Kohli and Gill’s batting was his biggest takeaway from the game.
“I actually loved the batting from Shubman and Virat bhai, it was a special inning from them. It feels awkward to receive the Man of the Match award seeing the way Virat batted, it was an outstanding inning,” he said.
Reflecting on his own performance, Kuldeep credited his rhythm and ability to read the batters.
“I was very calm in my rhythm and just trying to bowl whatever I felt like bowling, just varying the pace. Variations were superb, just reading the batters, where they’re going to hit me,” he said.
The spinner, who did not feature in India’s ODI series in England in July, said the spell had helped rebuild his confidence.
“Sometimes it feels to get that confidence back, you have to have a bowling spell like this. Definitely, you grow your confidence,” Kuldeep said.
However, he stressed that he still had areas to improve, saying maintaining a comfortable bowling rhythm and flow remained crucial across formats.
“I personally feel there’s still a chance to improve, and I’m going to stick with the same rhythm, that’s the most important thing,” he added.
India will look to carry the momentum into the remaining matches of the three-game ODI series against the West Indies.
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