Stats that reflect Kuldeep Yadav's dominance vs South Africa (ODIs)
Kuldeep Yadav's stellar performance in the first ODI against South Africa propelled India to a thrilling win. The match, played in Ranchi, saw India defend their total of 349/8 to win by 17 runs. Kuldeep was the standout bowler for India, claiming four wickets for 68 runs in his 10 overs. The star wrist-spinner has enjoyed operating against SA in this format. On this note, we dissect his stellar ODI record against them.
An average of 16.58 against SA
Against South Africa, Kuldeep has bagged 31 scalps from 14 matches at a jaw-dropping average of 16.58. As per ESPNcricinfo, no other bowler with at least 30 ODI scalps against the Proteas team has a sub-21 average. This puts Kuldeep in a league of his own. Notably, Kuldeep has gone wicket-less just once against SA in the 50-over format.
Kuldeep leads this tally as well
Kuldeep first played an ODI against SA in February 2018. No other full-member team bowler has taken 30 or more ODI wickets against an opponent in this period at an average of less than 22. Meanwhile, Kuldeep's economy versus SA is also mighty impressive (4.76). It also must be noted that Kuldeep is the only bowler with a sub-21 average in India-South Africa ODIs (minimum 30 wickets).
Four fifers against SA
The one in Ranchi was Kuldeep's fourth haul of four wicket or more versus SA in ODIs. His best figures against them read 4/18. Only Australia's Brett Lee and Waqar Younis (5 each) have more such hauls against the Proteas team. As per Cricbuzz, Kuldeep is now at par with Zaheer Khan (4 vs Zimbabwe) and Mohammed Shami (4 vs West Indies) in terms of Indians with the most 4-plus wicket hauls versus an opponent in ODIs.
10th ODI haul of four wickets or more
With this performance, Kuldeep has now equaled the record for the third-most four-plus wicket hauls by an Indian bowler in ODIs. He has two five-wicket hauls and eight four-wicket hauls to his name. This puts him on par with Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath, who also have similar records. Mohammed Shami leads the pack with 16 4-plus wicket hauls. Ajit Agarkar, who is currently the head of the BCCI selection committee, is second on this list with 12 such spells.