Kuldeep Yadav burst on to the scene as a once in a generation spin bowler and many experts even the great Wasim Akram earmarked him for greatness in the coming years. The 26 year old had to bide a lot of time before getting his maiden India cap and once he made his debut he was a spinner who was potent and the batsmen tied up in knots especially when he made his test debut for India during the 4th test match at Dharamsala. The last few years have been difficult for the left arm wrist spinner as he has rarely played for India and his misery was compounded when he was dropped from the KKR squad.
The story as it happened –
Kuldeep Yadav was just a passenger during the long tour of Australia and he just played one match during the English tour of India when he was part of the team during the second test at Chennai. Speaking to the media recently Kuldeep Yadav said “When you are playing non-stop, players do feel high on confidence. The more one sits out the more it gets tougher. I felt a huge pressure on me when I played the Test against England in Chennai this February. Due to Covid, there was nothing happening, so things got really tougher even more last year”
Kuldeep speaks about the time on the bench –
Many experts and cricketing voices wondered why such a talented player the ilk of Kuldeep Yadav was on the bench when he should be part of the Indian XI which is taking to the field at least in home test matches. The left arm wrist spinner was heard saying “I did, sometimes I felt, ‘what is going on?’. It was difficult times. Sometimes, the mind says, ‘ab shayad woh Kuldeep nahi rahe.’ There were days when you feel serving drinks and being on the bench is for the best and then but there are days you don’t want to be in that place”
Kuldeep Yadav speaks about the KKR snub –
When Gautam Gambhir was the captain of the team Kuldeep Yadav was not only played in the playing XI but also was used as a strike bowler or a partnership breaker. The last edition of IPL in UAE saw very less game time for Yadav while this season which is now suspended due to Coronavirus saw Kuldeep Yadav warm the bench in all the games so far, speaking about it Yadav said “I was especially when I didn’t find a place in my IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders. I wondered, ‘am I that bad?’ It’s a team-management decision and it would be wrong to go and ask them. I wasn’t played in Chennai during the IPL despite knowing it’s a turner. I was a bit shocked but couldn’t do anything”