Kuldeep Yadav on par with Rashid Khan in terms of T20 consistency, strike rate

Brisbane: While the Indian bowlers endured a torrid time during the Men in Blue’s 4-run defeat against Australia in the 1st T20 on Wednesday, Kuldeep Yadav had a good day at the office, finishing with figures of 4-0-24-2.

As Aussie skipper Aaron Finch and Chris Lynn looked to build a solid partnership following D’Arcy Short’s dismissal, it was the young chinaman who got rid of both the set batsmen.

Ever since making his T20I in July 2017, growing leap and bounds, Kuldeep has emerged as a vital cog for the national team. Among modern-day spinners who have racked up more than 20 T20I scalps, the Uttar Pradesh spinner comes close to matching Rashid Khan when it comes to the strike rate and consistency in picking wickets.

Afghanistan prodigy Rashid leads the pack with 64 wickets from 35 matches so far while Kuldeep has 31 wickets to his name, having played only 15 games.

The 23-year-old bowler ranks 5th in the current active list of top wicket-takers in T20Is behind Pakistan’s Shadab Khan (42 wickets from 29 matches) and Yuzvendra Chahal (41 wickets from 24 wickets).

But Kuldeep’s astonishing strike-rate is what sets him apart. For all bowlers who have picked up 20 wickets or more in the current period, Kuldeep strike rate of 10.7 is only second to Rashid Khan, who grabs a wicket every 10 deliveries.

The Indian chinaman is the only other bowler who takes a wicket less than 11 deliveries in T20Is.

What makes Kuldeep’s record even more special is that he has achieved these numbers playing against the best teams while Rashid has played most of his matches against the associate nations.