Poonam Yadav is one of India’s finest produced leg spinners to have played the game. She’d made her debut in international cricket back in 2013 first in the Twenty20 International (T20I) format against Bangladesh. In the same series against Bangladesh, she’d received her maiden One-day International (ODI) cap and then came her Test debut on the 16th of November 2014 against South Africa.
24th of August, Poonam Yadav turns 31 and we’ll turn pages and revisit a few of the specials she’s delivered in her international career.
Poonam Yadav has only played a Test match in her career so far, it was her debut Test in Bangalore against South Africa. In the Test (2 innings) she picked up 3 wickets, but when the Indian women’s team returned to Test cricket after 8 long years in 2021, she was named in the squad but couldn’t make the cut.
In the ODI format, she picked up 80 wickets in 58 innings at an average of 25.15 and has got an economy rate of 3.97. In the format, her best figures are 4/13 that’d come in the very next game after her debut back in 2014 against Sri Lanka. Poonam Yadav has failed to bag a 5-wicket haul in her career yet but has been on the verge with four 4-wicket hauls in the ODI format alone.
Poonam Yadav in 72 T20I innings has picked up 98 wickets at an average of 15.25 and has got an economy rate of 5.75. In the format, she’s registered the best figures of 4/9 that’d come against Bangladesh in 2018 and it was on the big stage, the final of the Asia Cup in Malaysia where India fought till the very end trying to defend a low total. In the T20I format, she’s picked up three 4-wicket hauls of which 2 had come in consecutive games which see her hold the record for consecutive 4-wicket hauls.
Perfect ocassion to watch Poonam Yadav’s brilliant spell of 4/19 in the opening game of Women’s T20 World Cup 2020
Happy 31st Birthday, Poonam 🎂#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/uuJimmMalP
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) August 24, 2022
The consecutive 4-wicket haul had come in the Asia Cup final (mentioned above) where she went on to register her best figures of 4/9 and in India’s very next game in a bilateral series against Sri Lanka registered figures of 4/26. Poonam Yadav is also among the names of bowlers with the best economy rate (0.00) which sees her lead the chart in the 2-wickets category. India’s opener at the 2018 Asia Cup against hosts Malaysia, Poonam Yadav delivered a stunning spell registering figures of 2-2-0-2.
Poonam is also the joint highest wicket-taker off stumping in T20I’s with 18 such wickets alongside, Pakistan’s Nida Dar. In 2018 with 20 wickets in 11 ODI innings and 35 wickets in 25 T20I innings have witnessed the peak of Poonam Yadav. In continued her merry run in 2019 as well with 19 wickets in 11 ODI’s, but had a slight dip in T20I form bagging 16 wickets in 14 T20I outings.
A poor 2021 brought one of India’s best and frontline spinner, Poonam Yadav warming the bench. The year (2021) saw her pick only 4 wickets in 8 ODI outings and 3 in the shortest T20I format. Opportunities since have been hard to come and she’s someone failed to gran them as she picked up just 4 wickets in the same number (4) of ODI outings and went wicketless in the only T20I game she played in the present (2022) year.
Poonam Yadav of late has had her struggles, but the street-smart cricketer she is there is only the wait for one good series that’ll see her reintroduce herself to international cricket and bring her 2.O self to the world stages. Her bowling speed is believed to have been an issue and if she’s got the box tick, we all know what’s coming, remember the 2020 T20 World Cup opener against Australia? She registered figures of 4/19 and her breakthrough of handing a golden duck to Ellyse Perry and dismissing the set batter in Alyssa Healy on 51(38) helped India defend a low 132. Her other wickets were Rachael Haynes and Jess Jonassen counting to India’s 17-run win. The game being an opener had India announce their arrival at the World Cup loud and clear and didn’t fail to send shockwaves to their favourite rival, the Australian dressing room.