It's all about your flow – Kuldeep Yadav on his defining spell against West Indies

Kuldeep Yadav wove a web of mystery around the West Indies batters as his crucial spell left the Islanders stranded in the first ODI in Thiruvananthapuram.

Yadav registered figures of 4/40 from his allotment of 10 overs, claiming the scalps of John Campbell, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope and Jewel Andrew - a performance that bagged him the Player of the Match award.

Talking at the post-match presentation, Yadav opened up on what he enjoyed most in the game while also reflecting on his own bowling. Shedding light on the game, Kuldeep said, “I actually loved the batting from Shubman and Virat bhai, it was a special inning from them. It feels awkward to receive the Man of the Match award, seeing the way Virat bhai batted, it was an outstanding inning.”

Decoding the blueprint of his own bowling, Kuldeep stated, “I think personally I liked my rhythm, to be very honest. I was very calm in my rhythm and just trying to bowl whatever I felt like bowling, just varying the pace, variations were superb, just reading the batters, where they're going to hit me, and yeah, I found it very good in rhythm.”

Being able to conjure such a solid performance after periods of being in and out of the national team, Kuldeep added, “It always feels nice when you enjoy your bowling and that's where you achieve your best, and when you are enjoying your bowling, when you are a bit relaxed as well, then your performance comes at peak. So, sometimes it feels to get that confidence back, you have to have a bowling spell like this, definitely, you grow your confidence.”

He continued, “I still believe there's a lot to improve as a spinner and I believe the rhythm, it's all about your flow, bowling flow, and when you are comfortable and when you are in good flow, then everything looks so good. I personally feel there's still a chance to improve, and I'm going to stick with the same rhythm, that's the most important thing. Any format, it's just you feel comfortable in your rhythm and in your flow.”