Wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav made a comeback for Team India after almost seven months during the West Indies series.
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Kuldeep Yadav has once again made headlines with his sensational form in the ongoing IPL 2022. However, it wasn’t easy for him to bounce back after his injury, getting dropped from the Indian team for poor form and warming the bench of the KKR camp for most of the matches. But his fortune changed when Delhi Capitals bought him in the IPL 2022 mega auction as well. Currently, he is the second-highest wicket-taker of IPL 2022, with 17 scalps in his name as well. Meanwhile, Kuldeep’s childhood coach Kapil Dev Pandey feels that KKR failed to use Kuldeep well and the Chinaman bowler should be thankful that he was released by the two-time IPL champions. He recently spoke to TimesofIndia.com and shared his views on this.
Notably, Kolkata Knight Riders released Kuldeep Yadav, who was a part of the unit from 2014 to 2021 and was bought for Rs. 2 crore (base price) by the Delhi Capitals as well. Soon after he joined the KKR camp, he became a key member of the team, especially in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, where he claimed 29 wickets (12 wickets in 2017 and 17 wickets in 2018). But in 2019 and 2020 he managed to take just 5 wickets in 13 IPL matches and then he was out of action in 2021 due to major knee surgery.
“Kuldeep didn’t get many chances in the last three years. Be it Tests, ODIs, T20Is, or IPLs, no one gave him opportunities. KKR didn’t show trust in him. They didn’t give him many chances. Kuldeep was disappointed, he has been in touch with me. I told him not to lose hope and not to miss any training, nets or practice sessions. I asked him to keep working hard and that would help him bounce back hard.” Pandey said.
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“When he was picked by DC in the last player auction (for his base price of Rs 2 Cr), I told him not to see the price he was bought for. I just said – ‘you have got a wonderful team and set up and will get enough chances to showcase your talent’. He said – ‘I just want to perform in the IPL and want to make a comeback to the Indian team in all formats’. He was hungry for chances. I am thankful to the Delhi Capitals team for giving him enough chances and backing him. KKR did a very good thing by releasing Kuldeep. It worked really well in Kuldeep’s favour. If Kuldeep was there for one more season, he would have been severely diminished as a cricketer. They (KKR) retained him for one year and then didn’t give him chances, that was quite shocking,” Kapil Dev Pandey further added.
The coach has also shared that Kuldeep got the much-needed support in the DC camp as he needed someone to motivate and inspire him, on and off the field the way MS Dhoni, his former India captain, used to do on the field from behind the stumps. And now, captain Rishabh Pant and Head coach Ricky Ponting have been doing the job for him as well.
However, Kuldeep is now two wickets short of claiming the first position in the race for the Purple Cap, after Yuzvendra Chahal. Kuldeep’s form in IPL 2022 has become the biggest talking point as well and coach Pandey has credited mentor Ponting and captain Pant for his success as well. “Kuldeep is so thankful to Delhi Capitals for giving him this opportunity. Delhi showed faith in him and Kuldeep is repaying that faith. Kuldeep needs mental support and he got that from (Rishabh) Pant and (Ricky) Ponting. Ponting and Pant have asked Kuldeep to go and express himself in the middle and Kuldeep is doing just that. Kuldeep has the full support of Ponting and Pant. When the captain and coach back you, what else do you need?” Pandey further said.
However, the coach has stated that the change in Team India captaincy has helped Kuldeep a lot. Kuldeep has returned to the Indian team after a gap of almost seven months against the West Indies (ODI series) in February this year. And, he believes Rohit Sharma is the man who has done wonders for Kuldeep Yadav. Pandey also feels that both Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal – could do well for India’s T20 World Cup campaign in Australia later this year as well.
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“Whenever captains trusted him, Kuldeep delivered. He has a good record in Tests. He has two hat-tricks in ODIs. He has a good T20I record. But still, he didn’t get enough opportunities. This is really shocking. Kuldeep’s career is protected because of Rohit Sharma. Rohit is the man behind Kuldeep’s resurgence. He is a fantastic captain and he knows how to find talent in a big group of players. Ahead of the IPL, Rohit called Kuldeep and gave him the chance (against the West Indies). Kuldeep delivered too by taking two wickets,” Pandey said.
“Rohit kept a close eye on Kuldeep, his Yo-Yo Test and rehab reports. Rohit was impressed with Kuldeep’s rehab programme. Rohit should be credited for Kuldeep’s comeback. He wouldn’t have been here today without the support of Rohit, Pant and Ponting. Every captain has their own style of captaining and picking players. Kuldeep played a lot of cricket under Virat. Virat wants experience in the side. He went with Ashwin and Jadeja. He preferred Axar ahead of Kuldeep because of Axar’s batting capabilities. A captain has to trust his players,” the coach concluded.
