The Science Behind Kuldeep Yadav’s Flight And Axar Patel’s Darts That Crushed Pakistan

Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel ran riot vs Pakistan [Source: @BCCI/x.com]

In a game where Pakistan’s batters looked like they were running through quicksand, India’s spin duo turned the screws like seasoned pickpockets. On a slow and sticky Dubai International Cricket Stadium track, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel bowled like fire and ice.

One tossed it up like a floating balloon daring you to swing, the other zipped it in like an express delivery. And together, they made Pakistan’s innings look like a car stuck in first gear.

More than wickets, this bowling display by the Indian spin duo was about control, rhythm and squeezing the fight out of a batting unit that thrives on flow.

Kuldeep Made Time Stand Still

Kuldeep Yadav bowled like he had all the time in the world. The ball hung in the air long enough for fielders to sip tea and still get under the catch. He slowed it down to the low 80s, gave it air and let the pitch do the work. His trick? Pure deception. The ball would loop, dip suddenly and then bite the surface. 

Batters like Sahibzada Farhan and Hasan Nawaz tried to line him up, only to find the ball wasn’t where they thought it would be. Drives turned into miscues, sweeps turned into top-edges.

It wasn’t mystery. It was mastery. He read the surface early, realised it had that spongy tennis-ball feel and made sure batters had to generate all the pace themselves. They tried and failed.

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Axar Gave Them No Breathing Space

While Kuldeep gave the ball wings, Axar Patel turned his into darts. He fired it flat and fast, barely giving the batters time to blink.

He bowled at 90-plus kph, skidding it onto the batters’ toes and forced them to play off the back foot even when they didn’t want to. Sweeps ballooned, drives cramped and Pakistan’s shot selection went out the window.

Fakhar Zaman tried to break free and paid the price. Salman Agha hung around like a deer in headlights before top-edging a desperate sweep. Every dot ball from Axar felt like a jab to the ribs: short, sharp, and unsettling.

The Perfect One-Two Punch

The real magic wasn’t in what they bowled individually. It was what they created together.

• Kuldeep slowed the game down, forcing batters to lunge and overcommit.
• Axar sped the game up, rushing them into half-formed strokes.

That one-two punch wrecked Pakistan’s timing. Their feet got stuck in cement, their hands went early, their minds got tangled.

Moreover, the mental whiplash ruined their rhythm. Feet froze, hands went early, minds scrambled. Between them, the pair bowled 8 overs for 36 runs and 5 wickets, ripping the heart out of Pakistan’s innings.

How Kuldeep And Axar Fared As  Compared To Other Indian Bowlers

Tactical Layers Behind The Spell

What made it even smarter was how India used them:

• Field placements: Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav packed the leg-side ring for Kuldeep to trap cross-batted miscues while Axar had a tight off-side cordon to pounce on late punches.
• Rhythm disruption: Switching between loop and darts forced constant recalibration of footwork and bat swing, something most teams overlook as a weapon.

Why This Combo Is So Lethal

Kuldeep invites the big shot and punishes it. Axar denies the big shot altogether. One teases, the other suffocates. And on slow decks like Dubai, where shot-making needs rhythm, this contrast is poison.

Pakistan tried to break the shackles with brute force. They found only miscues, frustration and collapse. Kuldeep floated, Axar fired and Pakistan’s hopes went up in smoke.

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