Talented Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav shared how hard it was for him to get past the heartbreaking 2023 World Cup final loss against Australia. India were firm favourites to win their third ODI World Cup title and played like it throughout the tournament. Led by Rohit Sharma, Team India dominantly won all nine league-stage games and the semi-final against New Zealand before losing to Australia.

Speaking to reporters after the T20I series against South Africa, Kuldeep said, “First week or ten days after the final was the most difficult. It was not easy to get that thought away from my mind. Whenever I was waking up, the thought of losing the World Cup final was haunting me. I keep thinking about what I could have done different. Cricket is very unpredictable, most of the time you don’t get the desired result. You learn and move forward.”

Despite going wicketless in the final, Kuldeep Yadav performed well during the World Cup. The veteran claimed 15 wickets in 11 games which came at an average of 28.26 and an economy of less than 4.50. Kuldeep was also part of the Indian squad during their semi-final defeat to New Zealand in the 2019 ODI World Cup as well.

“It turned out to be a special day. I have never thought about taking five wickets. I just wanted the team to win which is more important. I was concerned about my bowling because I was playing after sometime, so wanted to get my rhythm. It was perfect today. The ball was coming out well from the hand and the conditions too suited the spinners a bit,” concluded Kuldeep Yadav.