29 October - Lucknow - India player Kuldeep Yadav post-match press conference
[Reporter:]
After the Pakistan game, you said in the mix zone that you joked with Rohit that you would like to bowl under the lights. Today you got that opportunity. How excited were you for that opportunity? To bowl with dew, with so much control and drift, how special was it?
[Kuldeep Yadav:]
I mean, it is good if we get the batting first. But if we get a good score, it would have been more fun. The score was good at 230 and the wicket was difficult. The way Rohit [Sharma] batted and gave a good respectable total of 230. I was hoping that if we get two wickets in powerplay, we will be in the game. The way Shami and Jasprit bowled, the first spell, they got two wickets in powerplay and we were back in the game.
My job was simple, to bowl at a good length. It was spinning. I used the crease well. The result was good.
[Reporter:]
[inaudible]
[Kuldeep Yadav:]
Both the balls were good. I think both the balls were the same. There were no changes. The quality is important, and the quality of the players is also very important. They were very important wickets. And the team won – that is more important.
[Reporter:]
Lucknow is your home ground. What kind of support were you getting in this? And what was going on in your mind before you bowled?
[Kuldeep Yadav:]
I know my hometown well and the conditions very well. The wicket spins and when you bowl on seam, it spins better. I was trying to bowl the ball on a good length and use the crease well.
There is always public support. Wherever you play in India, even before this we played in Dharamshala, there was full support. And after that, here, it felt good to play on my home ground.
There is always a special feeling.
Winning is very important and we won – so that increases our happiness.
[Reporter:]
Was this pitch good for one day cricket?
[Kuldeep Yadav:]
100% it was a good wicket. It was challenging. 50 over is all about skill and if you are set then batting is easy and at night the ball was seaming well, and if you have quality seamers then you are always in the game and 100% this was perfect wicket for one day.
[Reporter:]
What do you think about the England team, they are defending champions. The way they are playing and the way their condition is, is it surprising?
[Kuldeep Yadav:]
I mean, they have a very good team, they have been playing good cricket. They have changed cricket a lot and every time everything doesn’t go in your favour. Sometimes you face bad times, I am sure they are thinking the same.
The English fan's expectations for the performance were not met.
Whichever team is playing, they are playing their best cricket and they want to defeat big teams. The biggest motivation for every team is that England is a big team. They were the last World Cup champions. So, the motivation is always high.
Even for us they are a big team. We were thinking the same way when we were preparing for this game. We were thinking that they will be a good competition in the game.
Definitely if you win against a big team, you are always happy.
You don't look at the other team that way because you are playing against them. You always think about doing your best and winning.
[Reporter:]
Who would you like to see in the semi-finals?
[Kuldeep Yadav:]
I think there are 3 matches left and then we will see who comes in the semi-final. We have to perform well in the remaining three matches.
[Reporter:]
[inaudible]
[Kuldeep Yadav:]
This full year I have played one day matches and bowled at night. I have played in Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. I have always been prepared. I have played more one day cricket this year. There is no big change in bowling at night.
I mean, there is only one factor of dew. As a bowler, you don't want to bowl in dew because it's easier to bat, but I don't have a problem with bowling at night or during the day. If your batsmen score well, 300 plus, then bowling becomes a little easier.
But yes, 100% this has been because of the preparation for the whole year and the way we played back-to-back bilateral series this year, our preparation for the World Cup, so there is no drastic change in bowling at night or in the day.
[Reporter:]
[inaudible]
[Kuldeep Yadav:]
I focus on my bowling. I don't think much about the rest. I'm sure that all the members of the team, whether fast bowler or spinner, are focusing on their performance.
How they can do well collectively - I'm sure that all the fast bowlers are bowling in partnership, even the spinners. When you bowl, you think about how you can bowl well and get a wicket. We have 5 quality bowlers. Sometimes you might need a 6th bowler, like in Dharamshala, it was a high scoring game. So sometimes, you need a sixth bowler.
But right now, it's going well. We haven't had any issues in the last two matches.
[Reporter:]
Today the tailenders also needed to bat, how do you prepare for batting?
[Kuldeep Yadav:]
I am working hard on my batting, I am contributing to the team, I contribute 10-15 runs, it helps the team. The last 25-odd run partnership helped us to reach a good target of 230. I felt that we can defend it.
It's not like I'm only batting in matches. I'm also working on my batting in practice.
Sometimes I score, sometimes maybe it doesn’t hit the bat. I get out, we get the last 3-4 overs to bat. Sometimes you don't get a single, you get a few dots. You don't think like a batsman. If you get 2 dot balls, you get under pressure.
But yes, we are working on batting. Hopefully, in the future, we will make 15-20 runs instead of 10.
[Reporter:]
In the 2019 World Cup, 5 games back-to-back team India won. But you lost the 6th game against England.
But once again, something similar happened in 2023. The first 5 games you played, you won. 6th game, once again with team England.
Was it revenge or you felt that history is repeating itself after 229 total?
[Kuldeep Yadav:]
After 2019 we have played 2-3 bilateral series against England. So, we don't think much about revenge.
But yes, if it’s a good side, you prepare well and your plans are always ready. And obviously it feels good to beat a good team. You take a lot of confidence for the next match and the performance is also very important. Especially since it's the World Cup, whoever performs well, it is a big day for him. It’s nothing about revenge.
[Reporter:]
Did that match - beating the defending champions so convincingly, does that feel like a changing of the guard moment where it changes around for you?
[Kuldeep Yadav:]
I mean to be very honest it was good to win - beating defending champion. They don't have the great tournament so far. So it wasn't that tough - they restricted us for like 230.
We, as a bowler, thought probably we have to pick early wicket to be in the game and certainly Jasprit and Shami did and after they were four down for 40 runs, we just trying to bowl in perfect areas and make them make mistake.
That was our plan as a bowler, as a spinner, me and Jadeja. And definitely when you lose early wicket, you're always behind the game.
[Reporter:]
Does this England team feel different to the 2019 team?
[Kuldeep Yadav:]
I mean, I think conditions matter a lot. They have the best team. They played some really good cricket over the years and they have the same players. So, nothing changes.