"It was good to play at my home ground," says Kuldeep Yadav after India's win over England in WC

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 29 : Following the 100-run win over England in their ICC Cricket World Cup match, the Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav said that the public support in Lucknow, his hometown was really good and his job is to bowl at good length.
Indian Pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami led the demolition of England, beating the defending champions by 100 runs in their ICC Cricket World Cup match at Lucknow on Sunday.
In a post-match PC, Kuldeep said that it was nice batting first and then bowling under the lights.
" I mean, it is good if we get the batting first. But if we got a good score, it would have been more fun. The score was good at 230 and the wicket was difficult. The way Rohit [Sharma] batted and gave a good respectable total of 230. I was hoping that if we get two wickets in powerplay, we will be in the game. The way Shami and Jasprit bowled, the first spell, they got two wickets in powerplay and we were back in the game. My job was simple, to bowl at a good length. It was spinning. I used the crease well. The result was good," said Kuldeep.
Kuldeep said that he knows his hometown conditions well and the wicket spins better when one bowls on seam.
"I know my hometown well and the conditions very well. The wicket spins and when you bowl on seam, it spins better. I was trying to bowl the ball on a good length and use the crease well. There is always public support. Wherever you play in India, even before this we played in Dharamshala, there was full support. And after that, here, it felt good to play on my home ground," said Kuldeep.
Kuldeep said that the pitch was good for ODI cricket and challenging.
"100 per cent it was a good wicket. It was challenging. 50 over is all about skill and if you are set then batting is easy and at night the ball was seaming well, and if you have quality seamers then you are always in the game and 100 per cent this was perfect wicket for one day," said the spinner.
Kuldeep said that England is a good team but are just facing some bad times.
"I mean, they have a very good team, they have been playing good cricket. They have changed cricket a lot and every time everything does not go in your favour. Sometimes you face bad times, I am sure they are thinking the same," he said.
"The English fan's expectations for the performance were not met. Whichever team is playing, they are playing their best cricket and they want to defeat big teams. The biggest motivation for every team is that England is a big team. They were the last World Cup champions. So, the motivation is always high."
"Even for us, they are a big team. We were thinking the same way when we were preparing for this game. We thought that they would be a good competition in the game. Definitely, if you win against a big team, you are always happy," he concluded.
Kuldeep did not name any particular team to meet in semifinals.
"I think there are 3 matches left and then we will see who comes in the semi-final. We have to perform well in the remaining three matches," he said.
Kuldeep said that he is working hard on his batting in the nets and hopefully in future, he will have even better returns with the willow.
"I am working hard on my batting, I am contributing to the team, I contribute 10-15 runs, it helps the team. The last 25-odd run partnership helped us to reach a good target of 230. I felt that we could defend it. It is not like I am only batting in matches. I am also working on my batting in practice," said Kuldeep.
"Sometimes I score, sometimes maybe it does not hit the bat. I get out, we get the last 3-4 overs to bat. Sometimes you do not get a single, you get a few dots. You do not think like a batsman. If you get 2 dot balls, you get under pressure. But yes, we are working on batting. Hopefully, in the future, we will make 15-20 runs instead of 10," he added.
Kuldeep said that the loss was not a revenge for the 2019 WC loss to England.
"After 2019 we have played 2-3 bilateral series against England. So, we don't think much about revenge. But yes, if it is a good side, you prepare well and your plans are always ready. And obviously, it feels good to beat a good team. You take a lot of confidence for the next match and the performance is also very important. Especially since it's the World Cup, whoever performs well, it is a big day for him. It's nothing about revenge," he said.
In the match, England opted to bowl first after winning the toss.
India put 229/9 in their 50 overs. Stars like Virat Kohli (0), Shubman Gill (9) and Shreyas Iyer (4) failed to score. But useful knocks from skipper Rohit Sharma (87 in 101 balls with 10 fours and three sixes), KL Rahul (39 in 58 balls, with three fours) and Suryakumar Yadav (49 in 47 balls, with four boundaries and a six) helped India go beyond the 200-run mark.
David Willey (3/45) was the pick of the bowlers for England. Rashid and Chris Woakes (2/33) took two wickets. Mark Wood got one wicket.
In the chase of 230, England was never really a threat except for Liam Livingstone (27), the only batter to cross 20 runs. Mohammed Shami (4/22) and Jasprit Bumrah (3/32) demolished the English batting line-up. Kuldeep Yadav (2/24) and Ravindra Jadeja (one wicket) also bowled really well.
Rohit Sharma won the 'Player of the Match' for his gusty knock.
With this, India is at the top with six wins in six matches and has 12 points. England is at the bottom with one win and five losses in six matches.