India wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav thanked skipper Virat Kohli for his support "on and off the field" throughout his career so far.
Kuldeep, who has played six Tests, 60 ODIs and 21 T20Is for India already, talked up how much of an influence Kohli has been in grooming youngsters like him in the set-up.
"If you are young and your captain is backing you every time on the field and off the field as well, it gives you extra motivation to perform. Virat bhai supports me on and off the field," said Kuldeep in an interview with the Times of India.
"He (Kohli) supports me in tough situations as well. Virat bhai is someone who knows how a bowler feels. He comes to you and guides you where to bowl. He will come, pat you on the back, guide you, gives you a solution and helps you take a wicket," added the 25-year-old.
Even though Kohli has been criticised by people from outside for regularly chopping and changing the line-up, Kuldeep said the sentiments he expressed for his captain would be echoed by everyone within the Indian dressing room.
"Sometimes, a bowler has an off day (bad day) and Virat bhai knows what a bowler goes through. That’s because of his captaincy experience. Before the senior team, he had captained the Under-19 team and the Ranji team as well. He pushes me to do better and motivates me. Not just me, he does that with every bowler in the team."
"For any youngster, if his captain is backing you, that’s a big plus point. Be it me, Yuzi (Yuzvendra Chahal) or Jasprit Bumrah, we all know our roles and we know that our captain is backing us."
"Many times, Virat bhai would understand what I am going through from my body language during a match. He comes over and gives an immediate solution."
Kuldeep also talked about the absence of former skipper MS Dhoni since the last year's World Cup semi-final loss to New Zealand.
Dhoni's indefinite break from the game has raised doubts over his future in the Indian team, with the 38-year-old wicketkeeper batsman himself clearing nothing as of now.
"We all are missing Mahi bhai," said Kuldeep, who has gained a lot by Dhoni's constant advice from behind the stumps. "I am a big fan of Mahi bhai. I really want him to come back into the team soon and play. Personally, I really feel he should play for India again."
"Whenever we stepped onto the field, Mahi bhai would come up with some instant advice. That (kind of) advice helped me a lot in my career. He is a great instant advisor. He is someone who doesn’t believe giving advice ahead of and after the game. He will analyse things and come up with instant advice on the field."
"That's what Virat bhai does as well. Mahi bhai is an instant advisor, Virat bhai is a great motivator. Apart from these two, Rohit (Sharma) bhai also guided me a lot on many occasions. I am really grateful that I am playing under seniors like Virat, Dhoni and Rohit," Kuldeep added.
(Inputs from TOI)
