Delhi Capitals (DC) registered a 4-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday (April 28) and once again, the stand-out performer was Kuldeep Yadav. Continuing his stellar outing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, the left-arm wrist-spinner delivered a spectacular spell and registered his second four-wicket haul of the season. Interestingly, Kuldeep took these four wickets inside three overs but he wasn’t given a chance to complete his quota of four overs.
DC skipper, Rishabh Pant’s decision not to bowl the fourth over of Kuldeep Yadav left the cricketing fraternity baffled. Notably, the Capitals operated with six bowlers in the match and not all were spot-on. The likes of Lalit Yadav and Shardul Thakur also bowled three overs and but they ended up conceding 32 runs apiece without taking any wicket. Hence, many reckon Pant had ample reasons to hand Kuldeep his final over.
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After all, Kuldeep Yadav also had an opportunity of scalping his maiden 5-fer in the IPL. Former England skipper, Michael Vaughan is among many to question Pant’s decision. Tweeting about the same, he wrote: “Strange captaincy !!! @imkuldeep18 4-14 off 3 !!!! Doesn’t bowl his full quota … !!!!”
Strange captaincy !!! @imkuldeep18 4-14 off 3 !!!! Doesn’t bowl his full quota … !!!! #IPL2022
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) April 28, 2022
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant, following the conclusion of the game, explained his decision of not giving Kuldeep his last over. He explained, “I thought we would give him (Kuldeep) his final over from the other end but then the ball kept getting wet and I also wanted to change the pace, that’s why I brought the fast bowlers in but it didn’t work.”
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It must be noted that Kuldeep Yadav had endured a hard time in the last couple of years. However, in IPL 2022, he witnessed a change of his fortunes as DC brought the best out of him. So far, Kuldeep has picked 17 wickets in eight matches, second-most for any bowler this season. Time and again, the spinner has credited head coach Ricky Ponting and skipper Pant for his comeback.
During the post-match presentation, Kuldeep Yadav said, “I might have become a better bowler, but I am mentally stronger than before. When you fail in life you pick what you can improve on and that is something I had to improve. I don’t get scared of failing now.”
