Internet Desk: India’s talanted chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav today said, skipper Virat Kohli’s support gave him a lot of confidence during the against West Indies. Kuldeep bowled brilliantly in his debut Test against Australia at Dharamsala earlier this year and he was also the star performer with the ball in the recently concluded West Indies tour.
“Obviously if the captain believes in you then you have done half your work. Captain’s belief is very important and Virat bhai supports me a lot. He supported me completely in west indies and the way he talks to the players on the ground, the way he spoke to me in the ODIs, it felt very nice because captain’s confidence is the biggest thing for a player, said Kuldeep at the press-conference today.
The ICC has banned India’s star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja to play the third Test against Sri Lanka for violating the ICC code of conducts. This could be a golden opportunity for Kuldeep as he might get a chance to play his first overseas Test. On being asked about the matter, Kuldeep replied,”Obviously there is excitement. I was excited to play my debut test as well so if I get a chance to play in sri lanka I will be very happy because I have been working hard and this will be a result of that. so obviously excited, but also there is nervousness that I should be able to perform.”
Though the team management haven’t said anything to Kuldeep that whether he will play at Kandy or not.”It is still not clear because there are 3 days left for practice. But ever since I have come here, shastri sir is with the team so he keeps on motivating me. I have been doing nets and he has been talking to me during the nets from even before the first test. It is a good experience,” said Kuldeep.
Kuldeep has also said that he debut Test against Australia at Dharamsala changed his life by a whisker. “If you are playing test cricket and playing for India life definitely changes. There is nothing more proud feeling than this that you can give to your family. I feel really proud to represent India, feel happy, and hardwork from childhood has paid off and obviously I am very happy with it.”
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Talking about his Test debut, Yadav recalled: “In my head I wasn’t thinking who I am playing against, whether Australia or New Zealand, I was only thinking about taking as many wickets as possible. I just wanted to show what skill I have. And that is what I did. Anil sir and Ajinkya bhai both told me to just enjoy my bowling and do what I do in nets or what I have been doing since childhood.”
“And in my head, the first ball was very important. I wanted to bowl the first ball very well and that was my thinking. So when the first ball was good, and 1-2 overs went well, I grew in confidence and lost my nervousness,” he added.
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Yadav played in all five ODIs and a T20I against the West Indies. Talking further about his experiences in the Caribbean he said, “Ahead of ODI debut I wasn’t as nervous. There was pressure in ODIs as well because the batsmen are attacking you.”
“It took me three overs to settle down on my ODI debut before I figured out how to adjust my lengths as the wickets were very slow in the West Indies. I also talked to Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) and Virat (Kohli) bhai and it became easier for me to perform in every match.