"Dismissing 5 of the top 6 batters is extremely rare" - Aakash Chopra terms Kuldeep Yadav's spell in the 5th IND vs ENG Test a 'stellar' performance
Aakash Chopra reckons Kuldeep Yadav's first-innings spell in the fifth Test between India and England was one of the best performances of the series.
Kuldeep registered figures of 5/72 in 15 overs as India bundled England out for 218 after they opted to bat first in Dharamsala. The left-arm wrist-spinner then played a 30-run knock in India's first innings and returned figures of 2/40 in 14.1 overs in the second essay as the hosts won the match by an innings and 64 runs.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra picked Jasprit Bumrah's 6/45 in Visakhapatnam, Ollie Pope's 196 in Hyderabad, Yashasvi Jaiswal's 209 in Visakhapatnam, Ravindra Jadeja's all-round effort in Rajkot, and Dhruv Jurel's knocks in Ranchi as the five best performances of the series. He chose Kuldeep's five-wicket haul at No. 6, reasoning (7:10):
"Kuldeep Yadav, the way he bowled on the first day in Dharamsala - he was absolutely exceptional. Although Ravichandran Ashwin took nine wickets in this match and was the highest wicket-taker (in the series), and Tom Hartley was the highest wicket-taker for England, I am going with Kuldeep."
"When you take five-wicket hauls, you generally take three of the top five and then catch the tail. Dismissing five of the top six batters is extremely rare. The way Kuldeep Yadav deceived Ollie Pope, cooked Jonny Bairstow, and dismissed Ben Stokes and Zak Crawley - he was absolutely stellar," Chopra added.
Kuldeep gave India the initial breakthrough by dismissing Ben Duckett to end his 64-run opening-wicket partnership with Zak Crawley. He then got rid of Ollie Pope, Crawley, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes to reduce England to 175/6, with Ravindra Jadeja's dismissal of Joe Root being the other wicket to fall.
"Ravindra Jadeja's king-like performance in Rajkot was exceptional and sublime" - Aakash Chopra
As for picking Ravindra Jadeja's all-round effort in the third Test in Rajkot as the fourth-best performance, he said (4:55):
"At No. 4, I have kept Jaddu's performance in Rajkot. He picked up a five-wicket haul later but when Rohit (Sharma) was batting at 33/3, Ravindra Jadeja was there alongside him. I feel Ravindra Jadeja's king-like performance in Rajkot was exceptional and sublime."
While acknowledging that other players contributed to India's win, the cricketer-turned-commentator noted that the spin-bowling all-rounder was the standout performer.
"It was an important Test match because England had only a 200-run deficit on a flat pitch and had eight wickets in hand. Of course, they got derailed, and other players had a hand in it, but he gave the 'Player of the Match' performance," Chopra observed.
Jadeja scored 112 runs off 225 deliveries and added 204 runs with Rohit Sharma (131 off 196) for the fourth wicket when India were reduced to 33/3 after opting to bat first. He then returned figures of 2/51 and 5/41 in England's first and second innings respectively to help the hosts register a massive 434-run win.