India and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav has credited Gautam Gambhir and Shane Warne for his rise as one of the finest spin bowlers of the modern era.
The 24-year-old further said that KKR is like a family for him having been with the Purple Army since 2014, saying former Captain Gambhir and current Head coach Kallis always motivated and supported him and pushed him to reach the next level and that is something he is currently doing as a senior pro in the side.
Exclusively speaking to Hindustan Times on Tuesday, 2nd March, Kuldeep said, “It has been 6 years now that I have been with Kolkata Knight Riders and they are like family to me. Everyone supports each other in the bunch. When I joined, Gautam Gambhir was the captain and Jacques Kallis was a senior player and continues to be our coach and I learned a lot from them. Gauti bhai always motivated and supported me and always pushed me to reach the next level. I am a senior pro now and doing my job to help the team reach its goals and help them lift this beautiful trophy.”
The left arm wrist spinner was also delighted with KKR’s start in the ongoing IPL 2019, though they lost their last IPL 2019 match to Delhi Capitals (DC), but he didn’t disappoint Captain Dinesh Karthik when he a took a courageous call to ask the bowler to defend 6 runs in the last over at Feroz Shah Kotla.
The ‘chinaman’ bowler did that and took the game to Super Over, where DC won the match by 3 runs but his performance shows how Kuldeep's career graph has gone upwards in the last few years and he is extremely thankful for the backing given by the two.
He added, “Till now it has been a great start for us. We were amazing in the first two matches at home. We played really good cricket to stay in the match against Delhi but you can’t predict what will happen in a super over, so I think we have done a good job so far. I am sure we will do well as we are playing good cricket. We lost in the knockouts last year but I believe we will make the finals this year.”
Meanwhile, the left arm spinner’s ability to bowl an attacking line and length has made him a crucial member of the Indian Cricket Team, but Kuldeep isn’t satisfied with his game, saying: “I really want to learn the skill so that I could avoid getting hit. Sometimes the batsman is able to hit you but my strength lies in giving air to the ball, in being able to spin the ball, and I back myself. But this is an aspect where I want to improve because it is good to be attacking but you have to think of the team as well and be able to save runs too.”
On the special relationship with Warne, Kuldeep revealed that the Australian legend has always been his idol and he always wanted to become a bowler like him. The bowler also revealed he regularly chats with Warne on WhatsApp and the Aussie helped him with a lot of tips.
Kuldeep revealed, “I watched him bowl in the 2005 Ashes series and from that day I wanted to become a bowler like him. He became my idol. I met him for the first time in Pune when we played a Test match against Australia. We spoke about a lot of things and when I went to Australia, he helped me with a lot of tips. Ravi (Shastri) sir and Bharat Arun sir helped me understand what Warne was trying to convey to me. Every morning he came up with new ideas and helped me become stronger mentally and in terms of cricket skills. He is very close to me now and we chat on WhatsApp regularly.”
Kuldeep became one of the most prolific bowlers in the 50-over format since making debut in 2017 with 87 wickets in 44 matches at a phenomenal average of 21.74 and is expected to play a vital role in Team India’s hunt for the World Cup 2019 and he is ready to live up to the expectations in England.
He signed off by saying, “There is a lot of pressure when you play for India and during a World Cup as the entire nation expects you to do well. The way I have been performing for India over the past two years, I am very confident going into the World Cup. I have bowled well against all the teams and I relish bowling in English conditions. I will go in with a positive mindset so that I can help the team win.”
(With Hindustan Times Inputs)
