IND vs NED: India’s top left-arm wrist spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, is closing in on a massive career milestone. The national team is getting ready to face the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium on February 18, 2026. Latest stats from the ICC and Sportsboard India show the 31-year-old enters this Group A match with 95 wickets from 54 T20Is.
IND vs NED: Kuldeep Yadav Eyes Historic Milestone in Ahmedabad
He only needs one more wicket to catch the legendary Yuzvendra Chahal, who retired with 96 scalps. This means a two-wicket haul in Ahmedabad would officially make Kuldeep India’s most successful T20 international spinner ever.
The Rise of a Modern Master
The numbers show a simple race, but Kuldeep Yadav’s journey in this 2026 T20 World Cup highlights a shift in India’s tactics. Right now, the spinner from Kanpur has an incredible strike rate of 11.86. No other Indian bowler with over fifty matches comes close to that figure. This stat proves he has a knack for breaking partnerships, as he usually strikes right when the other team tries to speed up their scoring in the middle overs.
If Kuldeep Yadav takes five wickets against the Dutch, he will pass Chahal and hit the 100-wicket mark. Reaching this in 55 matches would make him the third-fastest bowler in the world to hit a century of wickets. He would sit just behind Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane. Since Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah are already in this club, Kuldeep wants to be the first Indian spinner to reach triple digits.
The venue helps his chances, too. The big boundaries in Ahmedabad give spinners the confidence to toss the ball up more. He just bowled a tight spell of 1 for 14 against Pakistan in Colombo a few days ago. It looks like Kuldeep Yadav has found his rhythm again after a tough home series against New Zealand.
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His talent for fooling batters with pace changes and wrong’uns gives India a huge advantage in these conditions. As the team try to stay at the top of the group, fans are watching closely to see if the unorthodox bowler can secure his place in the record books in the IND vs NED ICC T20 World Cup 2026 match.
