"Kuldeep Yadav is an asset" - Fans erupt as wrist-spinner shines in IND vs AUS 3rd ODI

Kuldeep Yadav shone for Team India in the third ODI against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, March 22.

The left-arm wrist-spinner destroyed Australia’s middle order by taking the wickets of David Warner (23), Marnus Labuschagne (28) and Alex Carey (38). The 28-year-old finished with figures of 3/56 in his 10 overs.

Star of Indian bowling - Kuldeep Yadav 🔥

#India #Cricket #KuldeepYadav https://t.co/dgzjk9NmVq

Fans were delighted to witness Kuldeep Yadav’s sublime form ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup on home soil. So far, Yadav has scalped 15 wickets in eight ODIs in 2023. He took five and six wickets, respectively, against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in their three-match ODI series.

One fan tweeted:

"Kuldeep Yadav is an asset which has been completely wasted during 2019-2022."

#KuldeepYadav is an asset which has been completely wasted during 2019-2022!
#INDvsAUS #AUSvsIND #ViratKohli

Here are some of the other best Twitter reactions:

Hardik’s making a habit of these game changing spells - And a confident Kuldeep Yadav plying his craft is such a sight … Fab effort so far .. #INDvAUS

Kuldeep Yadav is now the first choice spinner for the World Cup 2023.He got an excellent ability to dismiss even the most well set batsman.He has a different variety and sets the batsmen first and then dismisses them.Absolutely."He has edged past Chahal in the race".
#INDvsAUS https://t.co/Bubcr4vTcZ

Better then Shane warne #INDvsAUS #kuldeepyadav twitter.com/espncricinfo/s…

This World Cup would be the chance of redemption for Kuldeep Yadav after setback in the 2019 one.

So good to see Kuldeep Yadav back in his elements. He is a genuine attacking option in the middle overs. We need to continue giving him more game time and confidence before the World Cup. #IndVsAus2023

The value of having a wrist-spinner ,can be a real wkt-taking option during the middle-overs..#KuldeepYadav continues his golden run.
#IndvsAus #IndvAus #AusvInd

Kuldeep Yadav proves you should not drop him for an extra batter during World Cup. Again, the only choice is Washy vs Axar

The reaction of the batter says it all, what a ball by Kuldeep Yadav 😯 #INDvsAUS #Chepauk https://t.co/yiSpGSXR4W

Kya Ball Ai ❤️🥹🙏
#KuldeepYadav #INDvsAUS
https://t.co/RIHb2J250p

Excellent spell by Kuldeep Yadav. His bowling figure (10-1-56-3) including the wickets Warner, Labuschagne and Stoinis.

Terrific spell from Kuldeep Yadav.

Speaking on the mid-match show, Yadav expressed his delight after dismissing Alex Carey with an absolute ripper. He said:

"I played the India A series here, so I knew the wicket was slow, so I was trying to spin the ball more. Those were the important wickets and especially I loved the one against Alex Carey."

He continued:

"I have been working on it, trying to bowl within the wickets, from there if I can spin the ball, so there is a lot of chance to get caught behind, there is a chance to get top-edge on slog just like David Warner did."

Bamboozled 💥

An epic delivery from @imkuldeep18 to get Alex Carey out!

Australia 7⃣ down now.

Follow the match ▶️ bit.ly/INDvAUS-2023-3…

#TeamIndia | #INDvAUS | @mastercardindia https://t.co/DCNabrEGON

He also credited Hardik Pandya for destroying Australia's top order that helped the hosts restrict the visitors to under 300. Yadav said:

"The way Marsh started, probably thought they would get close to 300 but the way Hardik bowled, he got 3 wickets and got us back in the game. But it’s a slow track, so we have to bat carefully."

Kuldeep Yadav’s exploits come a day after AB de Villiers backed him to succeed on a spin-friendly wicket in Chennai. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former South African captain said:

“I think he'll feature in Chennai. There's a bit of a turn. He gives that flight, takes it both ways. It's tough to pick him, so he'll be a force to reckon with.”

The statement came even though Kuldeep took only a solitary wicket in the first ODI against Australia, which Team India won by five wickets. He managed to bowl just one over in the second ODI, where the visitors thrashed the hosts by 10 wickets by chasing 118 in just 11 overs.

Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya shine as Australia bundled out for 269

Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya shone for Team India as Australia were bundled out for 269 in 49 overs. Pandya and Kuldeep took three wickets each, while Axar Patel and Mohammed Siraj finished with a couple of dismissals each.

For Australia, Mitchell Marsh top-scored with 47 off as many deliveries, which included a six and eight boundaries.

If the Men in Blue win the series decider, they will register back-to-back series wins ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup. They previously registered clean sweeps against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in January.

Click here to follow the IND vs AUS 3rd ODI LIVE score.