The wrist-spinner has come a long way after making his Test debut in 2017.
Kuldeep has also proved his worth in a brief Test career. In 6 Tests, he has picked up 24 wickets at an average of 24.12 with two five-wicket hauls.
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On Thursday (July 30), the left-arm chinaman recalled his debut Test against Australia in Dharamsala, where then head coach Anil Kumble gave him valuable advice and told him that he had to pick five wickets.
"Anil Kumble had helped me a lot in my first series. When I had come into the team, he kept giving me inputs on my bowling," Kuldeep told NDTV.
"On the day before my Test debut, he told me at lunch that you have to take five wickets. I couldn't respond for a few moments, but then said I'll definitely do it," he added.
Kuldeep might not have kept the promise of a five-wicket haul to Kumble, but he picked up four wickets (4/68) in the first innings of Dharamsala Test to lead the foundation for India’s series-clinching eight-wicket victory.
Kuldeep also reiterated the support he has received from legendary wicketkeeper MS Dhoni.
"Whenever I played with Dhoni, I never felt the absence of my coach, because he would speak to me like one and give me a lot of advice. He would always tell me to focus on spinning the ball, and from behind the wickets he would release a lot of pressure," the spinner said.
"Sometimes you are only focused on bowling and not the fielding, so he would set the field from behind the stumps. He would tell you the little things about what to do in the game before the match. As a senior player, he has supported me and (Yuzvendra) Chahal a lot and handled us very well," he concluded.