Watch: Kuldeep Yadav Leaves Ben Stokes Bamboozled, Dismisses Ex-England Captain In One-Day Cup
Kuldeep Yadav is at an interesting stage of his career. He has been repeatedly overlooked for India's playing XI. Former players like Ravichandran Ashwin have advocated for his inclusion
- Kuldeep Yadav signed to play eight games for Yorkshire in the ongoing season
- He will play five Metro Bank One-Day Cup matches and three County Championship games
- Kuldeep took two wickets in each of the four One-Day Cup matches played so far
Kuldeep Yadav is at an interesting stage of his career. He has been repeatedly overlooked for India's playing XI. Former players like Ravichandran Ashwin have advocated for his inclusion. To boost his chances, the left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav last month signed to play eight games for top English county side Yorkshire in the ongoing season. "Yorkshire County Cricket Club is delighted to announce the overseas signing of Indian international spinner Kuldeep Yadav. The 31-year-old will be available for five Metro Bank One-Day Cup matches before returning to Headingley for three of the final four Rothesay County Championship fixtures in September," Yorkshire CCC announced on the club's website.
On Friday, Kuldeep Yadav dismissed Ben Stokes, who was caught on the reverse sweep for 12 off the Indian left-arm wrist spinner in a match between Yorkshire and Durham in the One-Day Cup. Durham scored 165 batting first. Yorkshire chased down the target in 41 overs. So far, Kuldeep Yadav has taken two wickets each in the four matches that he has played in the One-Day Cup.
On joining Yorkshire, Yadav said: "I'm really pleased to be joining Yorkshire and grateful for this opportunity. It will be a real privilege to represent a club with Yorkshire's proud history.
"I've always enjoyed the challenge of playing in English conditions and, after speaking with the management, I became really excited to join up with the team. I'm looking forward to making a positive contribution during my time at Headingley," Yadav added.
While India head coach Gautam Gambhir hasn't shown much faith in his abilities, the Yorkshire management believes that Yadav will add value during a hot and dry English summer.
Gavin Hamilton, General Manager of Cricket, said, "Kuldeep is an accomplished, international-quality player who will add incredible strength to our lineup for these blocks of fixtures.
"Given the dry summer we've experienced, we expect spin to play an important role during the closing stages of the season. Kuldeep gives us another dimension with his left-arm wrist spin and brings a wealth of experience at the highest level. We're delighted to welcome him to Yorkshire," said Hamilton, the former Scotland and England international.
Yadav has claimed 79 wickets at an average of 22, with a best return of 5/40 across his 18 Test matches. He starred against England at home in 2024, taking 19 wickets across the five-match series.
In ODIs, he has been even more prolific, taking 194 wickets with a best of 6/25.
With PTI inputs
Kuldeep Yadav
Ben Stokes
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team