Kuldeep Yadav in action during 4th India vs New Zealand T20I in Visakhapatnam. (PHOTO: CREIMAS FOR BCCI)
The pitch at Vizag posed serious questions for bowlers, and to make it even more challenging Suryakumar Yadav had taken the field with a game plan in mind — they would use only five bowling options just to prepare for the worst case scenario at the T20 World Cup. And by the end of the powerplay, India had run out of answers. New Zealand openers Devon Conway and Tim Seifert were on a carnage, racing to 100 without loss in just 8.1 overs at nearly 12 runs per over. Only Arshdeep Singh’s third over had gone without conceding a boundary. Even Jasprit Bumrah, India’s premier weapon, looked ordinary.
As soon as the powerplay ended, skipper Suryakumar Yadav knew exactly where to turn. He hurried towards Kuldeep Yadav—the wrist-spinner who, alongside Bumrah and the rested Varun Chakravarthy, forms India’s trio of X-Men capable of wielding magic even on unresponsive pitches.
It was a moment that defined Kuldeep’s unique challenge. In any other side, he would be the lead attacker. Here, in a team brimming with variety, he often plays second fiddle. Even when he doesn’t appear in the wicket column, his control allows others around him to reap rewards. Bowling alongside Varun brings its own complications—oppositions often play the mystery spinner safe and target Kuldeep instead.
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As he marked his run-up with dew already glistening on the outfield and New Zealand eyeing a score in excess of 240, all eyes were on India’s premier wrist-spinner.
Kuldeep, with a bag full of tricks and variations, immediately leaned on his greatest strength—taking pace off the ball. He started with a googly before mixing it up, forcing Conway to improvise. The opener got his knee down for a slog but hardly made connection. Kuldeep closed the over conceding a slog sweep over mid-wicket—acceptable damage control in these circumstances.
Off the first ball of his next over, Kuldeep haplessly watched another delivery sail over the same region. But the trap was being set.
For the next ball, Kuldeep played his masterstroke. He gave it more air, bowled it wide, and Conway, already committed to the shot, holed out at extra cover.
Opening partnership broken ⚡️
Kuldeep Yadav strikes as #TeamIndia have wicket no.1⃣ 🙌
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/GVkrQKKyd6 #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/SRTU7cmZu5
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 28, 2026
That wicket—Kuldeep’s brilliance in reading the batsman’s intent—brought India into the game during the most difficult phase: the middle overs. As bowling coach Morne Morkel had revealed, India prefer taking as many wickets as possible before the 15th over, and that breakthrough opened the floodgates.
Kuldeep Yadav removed Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips in fourth T20I. (PHOTO: CREIMAS FOR BCCI)
Kuldeep’s dismissal of Conway rippled through the New Zealand batting order. Bumrah immediately struck to remove Rachin Ravindra, but it was Kuldeep’s control that truly changed the chase. Tim Seifert, who had plundered 46 off just 21 deliveries in the powerplay, suddenly found himself shackled. With Kuldeep bowling unchanged, Seifert managed only 16 runs off the next 15 balls before Arshdeep’s cutter ended his misery.
From 100 for no loss, New Zealand had stumbled, and India now had to deal with the dangerous trio of Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, and Mark Chapman.
While India have been unpredictable with their bowling changes to ensure batsmen don’t get set, Suryakumar had no choice but to keep Kuldeep operating unchanged. The spinner was in the zone, and the captain trusted him to deliver.
In came Glenn Phillips, and out went the most important wicket of them all. Phillips initially shaped to pull, but Kuldeep’s subtle variation—taking pace off again—meant the batsman chipped too hard to Rinku Singh at long-on, who was having a dream night in the field with four catches.
The numbers told the story of Kuldeep’s stranglehold: New Zealand had crashed from 100/0 in 8.1 overs to 137/4 in 13.4 overs, eventually becoming 152/5 in 15.1 overs when Chapman departed.
Those middle-over wickets meant India had only Daryl Mitchell to worry about in the death overs—a task they struggled with. Mitchell, in outstanding form throughout the tour, provided finishing touches with an unbeaten 39 off 18 balls, including two fours and three sixes to take them to 215/7.
For India, it wasn’t a perfect performance with the ball. But given the challenging conditions—dew, an unresponsive pitch, and an opposition in full flight—Kuldeep Yadav’s impressive spell of 4-0-35-2 was the crucial difference between disaster and control. When the tide needed turning, Kuldeep delivered, though Mitchell powered a furious finish for New Zealand.
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