Kuldeep leaked runs at 7.20 economy in IND vs NZ ODI series.
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has encouraged Kuldeep Yadav to rebuild his confidence and try new things with his bowling as he prepares for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, starting January 7. Ashwin shared his thoughts after India’s first-ever ODI series loss to New Zealand at home, where Kuldeep managed only three wickets in three matches, leaked runs at a hefty 7.28 runs per over and averaged 60.66.
Ashwin noted how a poor ODI series against New Zealand could have affected Kuldeep Yadav’s mindset, heading into the five-match T20I series against the same opposition. The series will mark the final preparation for the T20 World Cup 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
“New Zealand batters took a proactive approach against the Indian spinners by going after them right away. Kuldeep Yadav is one of the best bowlers. He has all the skills. But before the T20 World Cup, his confidence must have dipped,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
The former cricketer also stressed the need for more adaptability and offered advice to India’s other spinners, emphasising the need for creativity.
“My only advice to Kuldeep Yadav is to experiment a bit more. When a batter is playing as well as Daryl Mitchell against you, and wickets aren’t falling, we must make changes. His wagon wheel will show no runs on the offside because of a closed bottom hand. I’m worried that Kuldeep didn’t do this in all three ODIs. Both spinners can be more creative,” Ashwin added.
Kuldeep Yadav had a hard time finding his rhythm against New Zealand batters on home pitches. The visiting batters, led by Daryl Mitchell, attacked him aggressively whenever he came to bowl, forcing him to bowl defensive lines and minimising the threat from the wrist-spinner. The Kiwi batter used sweep and reverse sweeps against India spinners to his advantage, putting India on the backfoot in the middle overs. Mitchell hammered Kuldeep for 88 runs off 64 balls with five fours and six maximums, striking at an impressive 137.5 strike rate. Kuldeep, on the other hand, failed to dismiss him even once.
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Kuldeep Yadav is now looking forward to the T20I series against New Zealand, where he once again faces Daryl Mitchell’s challenge. This becomes an important practice for the home T20 World Cup 2026. He has enjoyed a decent run in T20I cricket since the T20 World Cup 2024, having bagged 21 wickets in just nine innings at an average of 10.23 with an economy of 7.04, including two four-wicket hauls. He also emerged as the top wicket-taker in the Asia Cup 2025, with 17 wickets at 9.29 average and 6.27 economy.
The presence of Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy, currently the No.1 T20I bowler in ICC rankings, in the India playing XI will further relieve the pressure of delivering wickets in the middle overs, which will help him perform better as well.
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