Kuldeep Yadav continued to make the most of his stint in English domestic cricket as the India spinner starred once again for Yorkshire in the One-Day Cup. The left-arm wrist-spinner dismissed England Test captain Ben Stokes during Yorkshire’s Group B clash against Durham at Clifton Park Ground in York on Friday, finishing with tidy figures of 2 for 23 in his 10-over spell. His disciplined bowling helped restrict Durham to 165 in 48.1 overs.
Stokes, who captained Durham in the contest, found scoring particularly difficult against Kuldeep’s variations and control. The England all-rounder laboured for 39 balls to make 12 runs before trying to break free with a reverse sweep. However, he only managed to send the ball towards backward point, where George Hill completed the catch to end his innings.
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Kuldeep’s second wicket came soon after when Colin Ackermann, who had looked settled on 26, was trapped by the Indian spinner. The double strike underlined once again why Kuldeep remains such a dangerous option in limited-overs cricket, especially in conditions where accuracy and subtle variation matter more than raw pace.
Kuldeep gets Stokes
Yorkshire vs Durham pic.twitter.com/8yCD5JWtB9— GKS (@GKS_Cricket) July 31, 2026
The 31-year-old is currently representing Yorkshire on a five-match contract in the One-Day Cup and has made an immediate impression with his consistency. His spell against Durham was another reminder of his ability to control the middle overs and pick up key wickets at crucial moments.
For Kuldeep, the county stint comes at an important time in his career. Despite his proven match-winning ability, he has often found opportunities limited in the Indian team, which has pushed him to seek valuable game time in England this summer. Every strong performance, even in a domestic 50-over competition, strengthens his case for bigger roles in India’s upcoming assignments.
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Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently backed Kuldeep strongly, saying the wrist-spinner deserves better treatment because of his ability to change games. With India set for a busy stretch of international cricket, including the Sri Lanka tour, Kuldeep’s form in England could once again keep him firmly in the selection conversation.
