Kuldeep Yadav, Kapil Dev: 3 Indians With Hat-Tricks in ODIs
Kuldeep Yadav however is the first spin bowler to pick an ODI hat-trick.
In just his ninth ODI outing for India, 22-year-old Kuldeep Yadav has ensured his name will not be forgotten very easily.
Against Australia at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Yadav entered the history books by becoming the third Indian cricketer to take a ODI hat-trick. However, he is the first Indian spinner to achieve this unique feat.
Interestingly, this is not the first time Yadav has claimed a hat-trick for India. He had taken a hat-trick while playing the 2014 Under-19. In fact, he holds the record of being the first Indian bowler to pick three on the trot at the event.
Here’s a list of three instances in Indian cricket history where the team’s bowlers have picked three on the trot!
Chetan Sharma vs New Zealand
Back in 1987, Chetan Sharma became the first, and till date, the youngest Indian cricketer to have claimed a hat-trick.
It was a Reliance World Cup match against Nagpur and Sharma clean bowled Ken Rutherford, Ian Smith and Ewen Chatfield. The Kiwis managed just 221 in their 50 overs and India won the game by 9 wickets (with 107 balls remaining)
Kapil Dev vs Sri Lanka
The year was 1991 and the match was the final of the Asia Cup.
India were playing Sri Lanka and Kapil Dev made history with back-to-back wickets of Roshan Mahanama (caught behind), Rumesh Ratnayake (lbw) and Sanath Jayasuriya (caught Manjrekar).
Sri Lanka were restricted to 204 and India won the final by 7 wickets.
Kuldeep Yadav vs Australia
Kuldeep Yadav made his debut for India during the Dharamsala Test in March this year. In the first innings itself, he foxed the Aussies and returned with figures of 4/68. Six months later, Yadav is still giving Australia trouble, this time in the one-day format.
In the 33rd over of the Aussie innings in the Kolkata ODI, Yadav managed to send off Matthew Wade, Ashton Agar and Pat Cummins on back-to-back deliveries. This was his first hat-trick in international cricket.
His best ball without a doubt was the hat-trick ball.
At the cusp of history, the young spinner showed remarkable calm to bowl the wrong one that took a thick edge of Cummins' bat before landing into the hands of MS Dhoni. Yadav got through Wade's stumps before trapping Agar in front of the stumps to be on a hat-trick.
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