Kuldeep Yadav picks two wickets in an over to dismantle Sri Lanka top-order - WATCH

Kuldeep’s double attack was enough to dismantle the Sri Lankan innings as the hosts were reduced to 89 for 3.

A lot was spoken about Kuldeep Yadav’s form in the limited-overs format and his place in the team. However, the Chinaman bowler on Sunday silenced his critics with his double strike in the 1st ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Kuldeep Yadav and Shikhar Dhawan celebrate the dismissal of Sri Lanka's Bhanuka Rajapaksa during the first ODI (AP)

Kuldeep stunned the hosts in the 17th over after they opted to bat. The leggie struck in the first ball of the third over and dismissed Bhanuka Rajapaksa for 24. The batsman went for a lofted shot but completely miscued it, only to get caught by Indian skipper Shikhar Dhawan at the mid-on.

A couple of deliveries later, Kuldeep hunted down Minod Bhanuka who looked in good touch. The Sri Lanka opener went for a drive against a tossed-up delivery but got a thick outside edge that went straight to Prithvi Shaw at the first slip.

Kuldeep’s double attack was enough to dismantle the Sri Lankan innings as the hosts were reduced to 89 for 3.

Check out the video of Kuldeep’s heroics:

Before Kuldeep gave the shock to the hosts, it was his spin partner Yuzvendra Chahal who drew the first blood. The wrist-spinner picked up a wicket off the first ball he bowled in the match to break the 49-run opening stand.

It’s the first time since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 that the Kuldeep and Chahal are coming back in the line-up. The match also witnessed Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan make their ODI debuts.

The first ODI also marks the captaincy debut of Shikhar Dhawan who also became the oldest ODI captain for India at the age of 35.

The skipper for this series is also eyeing a unique batting feat. Dhawan currently has 5,977 runs in the ODIs. If he manages to score 23 runs, he would reach the 6,000-run mark, becoming only the 10th Indian batsman to reach the milestone.