Kuldeep Yadav took a sensational hat-trick, helping India A beat New Zealand A in the second unofficial One-day match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. With New Zealand A on 219 for 7, Kuldeep dismissed Logan Van Beek, Joe Walker and Jacob Duffy in the 47th over as the visitors were bowled out. Van Beek was caught at point by Prithvi Shaw, while Walker edged one behind to India A skipper Sanju Samson. Kuldeep then castles Duffy to complete his hat-trick.
Kuldeep, who had earlier dismissed Sean Solia, ended the match with figures of 4/51.
Notably, Kuldeep is the only Indian bowler to take two hat-tricks in international cricket, both in ODIs against Australia and West Indies, respectively.
"When you fail, you learn. When I came back to the Indian side in January. I was not afraid of failure, I wanted to enjoy the game. My focus is to keep hitting the good lengths. (Getting) wickets is not in my hands...just want to bowl in good areas," Kuldeep told news agency PTI after the match.
"To be honest, when I got injured, coming back from there, understanding my rhythm was very important. I was a little bit slow. After surgery, I have changed that rhythm, bowling with more effort and more control." Yadav had undergone a surgery after sustaining a knee injury during the IPL in September last year," he added.
Talking about the match, New Zealand 'A' were all out for 219 in 47 overs after electing to bat first.
In reply, India 'A' chased down the target with four wickets and 16 overs to spare.
With India 2-0 up in the series, the final match will be played on Tuesday, September 27.
With PTI inputs