Follow UsName a better spinner right now than Kuldeep Yadav?
Chances are that you can name plenty of them, but statistically, there isn’t any spinner who is better than the Indian left-arm wrist spinner. Kuldeep was yet again a vital component of India’s bowling unit during the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati, on November 22 (Saturday), where he picked up three wickets.
Those three scalps certainly put the 30-year-old on top of an all-time chart in Test history. Amongst spinners with 50 or more wickets in the red-ball format, Kuldeep has the best-ever strike rate (36.4), besting England’s Jonny Briggs (45.1) and Colin Blythe (45.4) by a long margin.
The left-arm wrist-spinner was the pick of Indian bowlers on an otherwise dull day for the Indian bowlers, with his trickery accounting for two of South Africa’s three set batters. First, Kuldeep struck at a vital moment in the Test to remove a well-set Ryan Rickelton (35) and then accounted for Tristan Stubbs (49) as well, to give India a lion's share of control in the Test.
Best strike rate for a spinner in Tests (min 50 wkts)
36.4 - Kuldeep Yadav (IND)*
45.1 - Jonny Briggs (ENG)
45.4 - Colin Blythe (ENG)
46.6 - Axar Patel (IND)
47.2 - Simon Harmer (SA)