NEW DELHI: India wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav turned the tide in India’s favour with two crucial wickets after New Zealand got off to a strong start in the ICC Champions Trophy final at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
Rachin Ravindra (37 off 29) and Will Young (15 off 23) provided New Zealand with a solid foundation, putting on a 57-run opening stand after Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to bat first in the summit clash.
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India found their first breakthrough in the eighth over when Varun Chakaravarthy trapped Young LBW. However, with Ravindra going strong — having already given two lifelines when Mohammed Shami (caught & bowled) and Shreyas Iyer (at deep mid-wicket) dropped him in quick succession — New Zealand looked poised to dominate, reaching 69/1 after 10 overs.
India captain Rohit Sharma introduced Kuldeep Yadav into the attack right after the first powerplay, and the spinner made an instant impact.
Off his very first delivery, Kuldeep clean-bowled the in-form Ravindra with a brilliant googly. The ball landed in the middle, and Ravindra, failing to pick the variation, went on the back foot to punch but missed it completely. The ball sneaked through the bat-pad gap, crashing into the stumps and giving India the big breakthrough they needed.
Kuldeep struck again in his next over, this time dismissing New Zealand’s batting stalwart Kane Williamson. Williamson got forward to push but failed to keep it down, offering a simple return catch to the bowler.
With three quick wickets, including two by Kuldeep, India roared back into contention after New Zealand’s promising start. From 69/1 after 10 overs, New Zealand suddenly found themselves struggling at 75/3 in 12.2 overs, shifting the momentum firmly in India’s favour.
