Kuldeep thanks Dhoni for pepping him up before the hat-trick ball

A proud hat-trick man Kuldeep Yadav on Thursday said Indian team's senior pro Mahendra Singh Dhoni's comments egged him on before he delivered the crucial delivery to Pat Cummins to achieve his memorable feat against Australia in the ODI game at the Eden Gardens here.

Recalling the moments when he was about to let go the all important delivery, Kuldeep said he asked wicketkeeper Dhoni how he should Abowl.

"I asked Mahi bhai, what should I bowl. He said 'tujhe jaisa bhi lagta hai, woh daal (bowl the way you want to)'. I was very happy that he backed me," Yadav said after the match where he became only the third Indian to strike at hat-trick in ODIs.

In three successive deliveries, Kuldeep (3/54) took the wickets of Mathew Wade, Ashton Agar and Pat Cummins in the 33rd over to emulate the feats of compatriots Chetan Sharma (1987) and Kapil Dev (1991).

Kapil was the only ODI bowler to have got a hat-trick at the iconic Eden so far.

Kuldeep, who also thanked skipper Virat Kohli for supporting him, had earlier taken a hat-trick for India in the under-19 World Cup in 2014 opposite Scottland.

But he rated the one at the Eden Gardens as special as it helped fashion a 50-run win for India, who now lead 2-0 in the five game series.

"This is very special for me. That really changed the game for us. It was a proud moment."

Kuldeep conceded that in he was struggling with the leather in the first five overs.

"The first five overs I was struggling to bowl in a particular area, but later on I got the spot, and the rest is history."

It was also a story of contrast for Kuldeep who had been smacked for three consecutive sixes by Glenn Maxwell in the series opener at Chennai four days back.

"In game of cricket, everything happens. And in the last game, I got hit three sixes in an over," he said.

--IANS

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