India defended 209 to beat New Zealand by 22 runs in the fifth ODI and clinch the series 3-1
Benched spinner Kuldeep Yadav spent his afternoon signing autographs near the boundary
When a persistent fan offered him a samosa, Kuldeep politely declined with a witty reply
India’s pacers defended a modest 209 to beat New Zealand by 22 runs in the fifth and final ODI at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, clinching the series 3-1. Player of the Match Arshdeep Singh returned 3-30, Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel took two wickets each, and debutant Yash Thakur bagged his maiden scalp as the hosts were bowled out for 187 in 48.1 overs. New Zealand slipped to 83/4 and then 119/6, and never recovered.
India’s total owed plenty to Axar and Ishan Kishan, who made 46 each after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli fell for single digits. Mitchell Santner (3-47) and Jacob Duffy (3-60) shared six wickets, but a last-wicket 26 between Siraj and Arshdeep proved decisive. Stand-in skipper Shreyas Iyer backed his quicks, and they delivered.
Kuldeep Yadav Refuses Samosa From Fan
Kuldeep Yadav, though, had a quiet day on the field. The wrist-spinner was not in the playing XI, which left him free for the other big job of an overseas tour: meeting fans.
While Kuldeep was signing autographs at the boundary, one fan decided pen and paper were not enough. He held out a samosa and asked the spinner to eat it. Kuldeep, polite but unmoved, ignored the offer at first and carried on signing.
The fan, however, was not giving up on his snack mission. He pushed again and demanded an answer: “Ha ya na to bolo” (At least say yes or no).
Kuldeep, now cornered by a samosa, finally responded with the line that is sure to be quoted for days: “Tu hi kha le bhai” (You eat it yourself, brother).
The fan, to his credit, did not look too offended. Perhaps he was too busy with the samosa, which was now very much his own. But he recorded the incident and it went viral on Instagram.
For India, it was a day of 22-run wins and series triumphs. For Kuldeep, it was a reminder that the toughest decision of the afternoon was not who to bowl at, but whether to accept a stranger’s samosa. He declined. Fans may argue about the call, but his reply was crisp.
