Kuldeep creates records on birthday but considers Suryakumar's 'gift' greater than his five-for 3rd T20I vs South Africa

Kuldeep Yadav produced a five-star performance on his birthday. The left-arm wrist spinner, who turned 29 on Thursday, became the first male cricketer to pick up a T20I five-wicket haul on his birthday. He also became the second Indian men's cricketer after Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the first Indian spinner to register two five-wicket hauls in the shortest format of the game. That's some way to celebrate your birthday! There cannot be a better gift, or can it? Kuldeep certainly thinks so.

The left-arm spinner said captain Suryakumar Yadav's record-equalling fourth T20I century was the biggest gift he received on his birthday. Surya blasted 100 of 56 balls to join Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell in the list of most T20I centuries. It laid the platform for India's 201 for 7 in the third T20I, which the Proteas failed to chase down after being dismissed for 95 in 13.5 overs.

"I think it was Surya bhai's batting. That was the biggest gift," Kuldeep said when asked to choose the best gift (wickets) among his five. "He batted brilliantly. The way he was batting was great to watch because the pitch was not that easy for batting. It was really a treat to watch him bat," Kuldeep said.

"It turned out to be a special day. I have never thought about taking five wickets. I just wanted the team to win which is more important," Kuldeep said in the post-match press conference after returning with figures of 5/17 from 2.5 overs as India beat South Africa by 106 runs to help India finish the three-match T20 series tied at 1-1. "I was concerned about my bowling because I was playing after some time, so wanted to get my rhythm. It was perfect today. The ball was coming out well from the hand and the conditions too suited the spinners a bit."

South Africa pitches suiting spinners: Kuldeep

Surprised by the spin on offer during the third T20I at The Wanderers here, Kuldeep Yadav said the South African wickets, generally known for their pace and bounce, are also suiting spinners in the ongoing tour.

"To be very honest, the wickets are very good for the spinners. The good thing about these wickets are that the ball comes very quickly after pitching. So sometimes, you have to vary your variations and if you get it right then it is very difficult to pick," he added.

Kuldeep last played in South Africa in 2018 but a knee injury in 2021, for which he underwent surgery, halted his career for 6-7 months.

However, he successfully returned back to the field with a new technique.

"In 2018, I was very new and after that, couple of years I struggled with my injury and post surgery I came back and made a few changes in my bowling, especially in my run-up. Trying to be more aggressive and just trying to bowl much straighter and focussing on length," Kuldeep said.

Just like his teammates, it took some time for Kuldeep to overcome the loss in the ODI World Cup final to Australia.

"Starting was really difficult. The first 7 to 10 days were really tough. Whenever I woke up, the thought of losing the World Cup final was haunting me. But life changes and moves on. I got an opportunity to play in South Africa, I last played here in 2018 so I knew the conditions well," he said.

"In cricket what you want never happens and you have to learn from them and implement those in future matches."