Kuldeep Yadav was in a race against time to make a complete recovery ahead of the home ODI series against England earlier this month. In November, he underwent surgery for sports hernia in Munich, leaving him with a little over two months to rehab, recover, play for Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy and prove his match-fitness. The pixie left-arm wrist-spinner ticked all the boxes, embarking on an uncompromising rehab schedule at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and convincing those that needed convincing that he was ready to return to the rigours of international cricket.

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