Why Pakistan can not play Kuldeep Yadav? Reason, Stats, and Wickets

He has shed the more spectacular acts of the first half of his career and evolved into a master of the subtle art of spin bowling. Kuldeep Yadav is the nightmare that keeps recurring for Pakistan batsmen. The latest–three wickets for 18 runs in Dubai–reflected as much as his grip over the batsmen from Pakistan as his evolution from a magical to masterful spinner. It was his first T20I against the neighbours, but his white-ball figures against the neighbours are dread-inducing. Eight games; eighteen wickets, 10 runs for a wicket, an economy rate of 4.2. He has not just confused the batch of Salman Ali Agha, but also the more famous ones of a past Pakistan that is trying to erase.

Myths, memories and Babar Azam

He is like a myth; different batsmen would have different versions of stories to tell and retell. Babar Azam, the finest Pakistan batsman since Younis Khan, would remember two balls that shocked him into numbness. First was the googly in the Asia Cup in Dubai 2018, those days when Kuldeep relied on slow deception in the air and biting turn off the surface. Babar had shimmied down the track to flick, seemed to have gauged the flight and dip, but to his horror realised that he was nowhere near the pitch off the ball, and with bewildered eyes, saw the ball spat past his bat to kick the stumps. He was expecting his stock ball, the one that turns in.

A year later, in a World Cup game in Manchester, Babar was so spooked by the googly that he was largely crease-bound. He was inclined to get outside the line with a slightly open bat face. But this time, Kuldeep spun the ball back into him after drifting it away. In the flight, the ball was heading towards the fifth stump, but the deathly reroute saw it hit the off and middle-stump. A piece of magnificent wrist spin. He twinkled with the joy of a street magician. The successors of Babar would wonder what the fuss about his turn is all about. In Sunday’s game, he barely spun the ball to eye-popping degrees. The turn, either way, was subtle. Photographs of none of the three wickets would do his walls, but that’s how Kuldeep operates in the shorter versions these days. He has metamorphosed into a master of the subtle arts of spin bowling, shedding the spectacular acts that captured the first half of his career. He spins the ball just enough to lure the edge, the dip just enough for the batsmen to misjudge his stroke. The ball hangs in the air just enough to trigger confusion. The Heart of it is his mastery of different lengths, his clever interchanging of them, and speed.

Variation, pace and the new layer of intrigue

The Babar wonder-ball clocked only 78mph; the one that nailed Mohammad Nawaz measured 84 kph. The wickets of Sahibzada Farhan and Hasan Nawaz, too, nudged similar speeds. It’s not that Kuldeep has learned to bowl fast, but how efficiently he varies his pace range, without compromising on the foundation ideals of flight and drop. He has, thus, woven another layer of intrigue to his artistry. Primarily, the drop deceived Farhan, as he stretched for the ball to reach him, only to find it was eluding him. He played the stroke prematurely. Mohammed Nawaz did not fathom the googly; he misjudged the length too. It was not a ball in sweepable length, but it is also about the illusion that he creates that the shot was on. Hasan Nawaz perished miscuing the slog-sweep, beaten by the bounce he extracted from a good length-ish area.

Merely watching the wicket-balls–a spinner is best appreciated as a whole package–would capture his full art. He kept them guessing, second-guessing, pre-empting, and wafting the thin air. He had Farhan tied in a knot. He mustered only two runs from six balls, despite all his jailbreak measures. They couldn’t dance down the track because he would fox them with flight and dip. They couldn’t sweep him because he made the ball bounce off the length (thanks to the revs he imparts). They couldn’t cut as there was no width. Due to his length, batsmen cannot premeditate going to either front or back foot. “Once you have settled into a good length, you keep changing the line by reading the batsman. If you can do that, the format isn’t that difficult for a bowler,” he had told The Indian Express. His mantra was to “read the batsman’s mind”. “Try to see what he expects you to bowl next and what shot he can try.” And Pakistan batsmen did not quite have the skill or courage to disrupt a high-class spinner. Frightened, they could not even manipulate singles. He piled on 15 dot balls, which is close to two-thirds of his deliveries that went unscored.

Criticism, planning and Pakistan’s failure to adapt

Former captain Shoaib Malik pinned the blame on Pakistan’s lack of planning. “We don’t play them at bilateral and we only play them at such ICC tournaments. Which means nobody has found a solution as yet to play him (in the space of 10 matches, spread over years)? Nobody is even bothered about it? Then what are we doing? What kind of planning and cricket is this? If a guy is coming and taking wickets every day against us, we don’t have any solution?”. His co-panelist at PTV Sports, Umar Gul, wondered even with the presence of a similar left-arm wrist spinner in their own ranks, why were the Pakistani batsmen looking so clueless against Kuldeep. He keeps reinventing, which is an occupational hazard of sorts in this era of forensic examination by technology.

The more they play him, the better they should become at spotting the idiosyncrasies that give clues as to which way the ball is going to turn. The catalogue of footage will be built. “I still think I need to really work on my bowling as well. Sometimes I feel that I try too many variations, but I have to learn day by day and game by game. I still think there’s a lot of room to improve in,” he told the host broadcasters during the presentation ceremony. So he is filling more layers to his craft, perpetually thinking ahead of the batsman, like a thought-fox, plotting, planning, chiselling his weapons. And recurring as a nightmare for Pakistan.

Statistics: Kuldeep Yadav vs Pakistan (White-ball)

The following table summarises Kuldeep Yadav's white-ball record against Pakistan as referenced above:

Matches	Wickets	Average (Runs per wicket)	Economy Rate	Notable Best Figures
8	18	10.0	4.2	3/18 (Asia Cup 2025) / 5/25 (Asia Cup 2018)

Why these numbers matter

These numbers are not just figures on paper—they represent sustained domination across conditions and formats. Few bowlers have enjoyed such a pronounced edge over Pakistan in recent white-ball contests, and Kuldeep's stats reflect both his skill and the recurring uncertainty he breeds in the opposition.

Notable dismissals and match moments

Kuldeep Yadav’s list of scalps against Pakistan features several big names and pivotal moments:

• Babar Azam (Asia Cup 2018 & World Cup 2019) – undone by two contrasting googlies.
• Fakhar Zaman (Asia Cup 2018) – deceived by flight and caught attempting a sweep.
• Sarfraz Ahmed (Asia Cup 2018) – beaten by dip and turn; simple catch followed.
• Mohammad Nawaz (Asia Cup 2025) – misjudged length and trapped by a googly not in sweepable range.
• Sahibzada Farhan (Asia Cup 2025) – deceived by a drop and played prematurely.
• Hasan Nawaz (Asia Cup 2025) – miscuing a slog-sweep, beaten by bounce.

How Kuldeep operates: technique and tactics

Kuldeep's craft is more than mere spin. He uses a combination of flight, dip, subtle turn, and a carefully controlled pace range to create illusions. By consistently landing the ball in a disciplined corridor—neither too full nor too short—he prevents batsmen from settling into a front-foot or back-foot rhythm. His ability to vary pace (with deliveries ringing in around 78 mph to 84 kph) without telegraphing changes in flight makes him a compelling challenge in limited-overs cricket.

Elements of his success

1. Reading the batsman: He tries to anticipate what the batsman expects and then alters his plan.
2. Variation in length and pace: The subtle shifts disallow easy shot selection by the batter.
3. Use of the crease and angle: Drift and re-direction (googly vs stock ball) keep batsmen guessing.
4. Dot-ball pressure: Building dot balls (15 dot balls in the Dubai spell) forces mistakes.

What Pakistan must do to find a solution

If Pakistan is to overcome its Kuldeep problem, structured and intentional steps are required:

• Specialised nets and practice sessions against left-arm wrist spin to simulate Kuldeep's variations.
• Detailed video analysis of release points, hand positions, and flight patterns to pick up pre-delivery cues.
• Focus on rotating the strike — design drills that emphasise nudging for singles over boundary-hunting in the early overs.
• Player-specific plans: for example, urging players like Babar to use late cuts against the googly, or encouraging aggressive sweep options with clearer judgment for power-hitters.

Expert voices and reflections

Former captain Shoaib Malik and former pacer Umar Gul have both pointed to planning and preparation as key failings. Malik's critique on limited encounters between the nations underscores the lack of regular exposure Pakistani batsmen have to Kuldeep's style. Gul's question — why Pakistani batsmen remain clueless even with similar bowlers at home — highlights the tactical and psychological gaps that persist.

Kuldeep himself remains outwardly modest, noting the need to improve and keep learning: “I still think I need to really work on my bowling as well. Sometimes I feel that I try too many variations, but I have to learn day by day and game by game. I still think there’s a lot of room to improve in.”

Conclusion: the thought-fox keeps returning

Kuldeep Yadav is no longer just a spinner—he acts like a “thought-fox,” getting inside the batsman’s head with a chess-like approach. Against Pakistan, his craft has matured into a recurring nightmare that sharpens with every match-up. The stats (eight games, 18 wickets, average 10.0, economy 4.2) and the vivid memories of dismissals—especially those of Babar Azam—show why Pakistan have struggled to solve him. Until Pakistan invests in targeted preparation, exposure and mental conditioning, Kuldeep Yadav will likely continue to haunt them: subtly, skillfully, and masterfully.

Also Read: Top 5 Unforgettable Centuries in Asia Cup History

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