From being an automatic pick in all formats of the game three years back, Kuldeep Yadav quickly fell down the pecking order after being dropped by the national team and even by his former IPL club Kolkata Knight Riders.
The 27-year-old, however, rediscovered his form this year for his new team Delhi Capitals in the IPL with 21 wickets. He made a national comeback earlier this year in the shorter formats and, on Sunday, took a hat-trick for India-A against New Zealand-A.
“To be honest, from last year after I was injured, understanding my rhythm was very important. Before I was slow in my run-up and I found it difficult when batsmen started picking what I was bowling,” said Kuldeep on his comeback journey.
Extra effort
“After surgery (in 2021), I changed that rhythm. I am bowling with more effort and control by giving that extra pace as well. That helped me from what I used to be before to what I am now,” he said.
Commenting on his bowling right now, Kuldeep said, “I am bowling well right from the IPL. In the West Indies, and Zimbabwe as well, the control, accuracy and speed were phenomenal.”
The left-arm wrist-spinner also explained that he doesn’t have the fear of failure anymore saying, “When you fail, you learn. When I came back to the Indian side in January, I was not afraid of failure, I wanted to enjoy the game.”
When asked about how tough it was going from playing all formats to being dropped, Kuldeep said, “You learn as a wrist-spinner when you keep playing. You want to play more games but that could not happen. I didn’t know how to cope with it. The injury was lucky for me. I could understand my body and what areas I need to work on.”
Thank you, Watson
“Coming back from there, I was thinking about my rhythm and pace, which has helped me. It is challenging but you have to see the other part as well, there are plenty of cricketers coming up. It is always tough playing for India,” he added.
He also gave credit to Shane Watson at Delhi Capitals saying, “He helped me in mind control. He was the one who calmed me down and asked me to focus on a few things.”
