World Cup 2023: 100% it was a good wicket, it was challenging – Kuldeep Yadav on Lucknow pitch

India’s spinner Kuldeep Yadav admitted the Lucknow pitch was a good wicket and it was challenging for both teams. The run-scoring was difficult on a surface which had help for both seamers and spinners. It was a two-paced wicket and bowlers of both sides did a fine job.

Furthermore, there was some extra bounce in the track, which the fast bowlers exploited. India posted 229 runs on the board after they were asked to bat first by Jos Buttler, courtesy of a gutsy knock of 87 runs from skipper Rohit Sharma.

On the other hand, Indian fast bowlers were right on the money with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami bagging three and four wickets respectively. Kuldeep Yadav also continued his good form as he bamboozled Jos Buttler with a beautiful delivery and then plumbed Liam Livingstone in front of the wicket.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Kuldeep said, “100% it was a good wicket. It was challenging. 50-over [cricket] is all about skill. If you are set, then batting is easy and at night the ball was seaming well, and if you have quality seamers, then you are always in the game. 100% this was perfect wicket for one-day.”

Yadav added both of his wicket-taking balls were perfect and he was glad to once again play a key role in the team’s win.

“Both the balls were good. I think both the balls were the same. There were no changes. The quality is important, and the quality of the players is also very important. They were very important wickets. And the team won – that is more important.”

Meanwhile, the defending champions England have managed a solitary win out of the six games they have played and Yadav reckons every team has to go through such difficult phases.

“They are a fantastic team and changed the way the game is played over the last few years. All teams tend to have these low phases. As for us, we just want to play good cricket and not think too much about the opposition,” the Indian spinner responded to a query on England’s shocking performance.

India will next take on Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Thursday.