India had kept Kuldeep Yadav on the bench during their three matches in New York not because they wanted to unleash him as a surprise weapon in the Super Eight stage—there are no surprises in international sport anymore—but because pitches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium were ‘like those in Australia’, according to the left-arm wrist-spinner himself.

Once the team moved to the Caribbean for the second phase, it was obvious that on tracks that would assist spin, Kuldeep would be a shoo-in. He took a while to find his feet, his first ball in the T20 World Cup a no-ball against Afghanistan, but once he got his first bowl out of the way with two for 32, he has been on top of his game.