Kuldeep Yadav achieved a remarkable milestone on Tuesday by reaching 150 ODI wickets, making him the fastest Indian spinner to achieve this feat in just 88 One Day Internationals. This impressive accomplishment came during the Asia Cup Super Four match against Sri Lanka.
In the match, Kuldeep demonstrated his exceptional bowling prowess, taking four crucial wickets while conceding only 43 runs in 9.3 overs, boasting an economy rate of 4.52. His victims included the middle-order batsmen Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka, and he later cleaned up the tail by dismissing Kasun Rajitha and Matheesha Pathirana.
With this milestone, Kuldeep now has 150 wickets in 88 ODIs, maintaining an impressive average of 25.64. His best bowling figures stand at 6/25, and he has contributed seven four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls for the Indian team in ODIs.
Kuldeep's achievement is all the more remarkable as he is the second-fastest Indian player to reach 150 wickets, only behind pacer Mohammed Shami, who achieved this milestone in 80 matches. Additionally, Kuldeep holds the distinction of being the quickest Indian spinner to reach this landmark.
Among all spinners in ODI history, Kuldeep currently ranks as the fourth fastest, with only Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis (84 matches), Rashid Khan (80 matches), and Saqlain Mushtaq (78 matches) ahead of him in terms of reaching 150 ODI wickets.
Furthermore, Kuldeep Yadav is leading the wicket-taking charts in the ongoing tournament, with a total of nine wickets in four matches, including a memorable five-wicket haul against arch-rivals Pakistan.
