IND v ENG: Did Kuldeep Yadav just bowl the 'new ball of the century'? Internet reacts...

A rare occurrence at the Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee cricket stadium in Lucknow was on display earlier today, with both talismans of India and England scoring ducks in the same game. Of course, this is Virat Kohli and Joe Root we speak of who left the effervescent Lucknow crowd a bit puzzled with their respective shot selections. Kohli would inelegantly heave the ball to the mid-off to lose his wicket with Root shuffling across the crease to a Jasprit Bumrah in-comer to secure a disappointing golden duck. 

But if those superstars had sombre outings, the Indian bowlers stepped up to the occasion to reinvigorate the crowd as Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and co. bowled their hearts out to humble the English top order. Bumrah was at his expected best and Shami bowled so many pearlers that everyone was left stunned, mesmerized. And yet, it was Kuldeep Yadav who got the title for delivering the best ball of the match, possibly even the tournament.

Kuldeep Yadav bamboozles Jos Buttler

The ball, of course, was an absolute sight to behold as Kuldeep got the offside-off-stump delivery to spin viciously into Buttler who was cut in half but the sting and the zip it carried. The top of the middle stump is the least accessible target for bowlers but the southpaw made it his home to leave the English captain reeling because of the entire setup. 

Also Read: IND v ENG: Ravi Shastri, Michael Atherton reminisce about legend Bishan Singh Bedi on air 

Kuldeep Yadav's peach to Babar Azam in the 2019 World Cup, of course, has enjoyed a huge fandom over the years but it might not be far-fetched to believe that a good chunk of that fan base will now switch sides. 

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Jos Buttler's dismissal has also left social media speechless and many have even declared that Kuldeep has potentially bowled the best ball of the season. A few have termed it the "ball of the century" to give it the same pedestal that Shane Warne got for his Andrew Strauss sorcery but, regardless, the admiration is almost palpable at this point. 

Indian bowling on the prowl

Getting past England was one of the main hurdles that Rohit Sharma and his men faced ahead of the tournament. However, team India entered the World Cup 2023 contest as the more dominant side on the back 5 straight victories, with England, in contrast, on the brink of facing an exit from the tournament. 

Also Read: IND vs ENG: Virat Kohli celebrates England's wickets with a joyous hug for Rohit Sharma 

English bowlers, however, restricted the Indian batting unit to a below-par 229 and looked set to conquer that score with their impressive start. The chase took off to 30 for no loss within no time until Jasprit Bumrah got Dawid Malan and Joe Root back-to-back and opened up the feeble middle order for Mohammad Shami to run through. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, too, made great strikes to combat the depth of England's batting.