India's chinaman Kuldeep Yadav was disappointed for being benched in more than half of the matches in IPL 2020. He featured in only five games for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last season.
Kuldeep hasn't been in good form for the last couple of years, but he was confident of doing well in the 13th edition of IPL. The spinner felt he was in a good rhythm to produce match-winning performances in the tournament, however, the team management didn't continue with him.
"Personally I felt the 2020 IPL did not got well for me. I should have played more matches. I felt I was in pretty good rhythm, I was bowling well, but just that I did not get many overs. So, perhaps, if I got more opportunities then it would have been good. I am not saying that was the lowest, to be honest," he told ESPNcricinfo.
"Even in 2019 I did not have a good IPL. Until you fail, you can't handle the pressure. Now I feel I understand things better - I have seen failure in my life now, so even if I don't perform, it will not be new. In cricket, you can't perform at all times, but if you carry on doing the hard work, you create better chances to become successful."
Kuldeep has played 14 matches in the last two IPL seasons and he managed to pick only 5 wickets. The stats are very poor knowing his potential and in comparison to the performances in IPL 2017 and 2018.
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The 26-year-old was among the few players who didn't get to play a single Test match on the recently concluded Australia tour. It wasn't easy for him but the spinner took the time to work on his bowling with India's bowling coach Bharat Arun.
"I have had a lot of discussions with Arun sir and we have worked on that aspect a lot. At the time my pace was slow, around 77kph. The fastest I would get to would be 80kph at times. In the Australia tour in the nets, I was getting a nice pace, close to 84-85kph, with good revolutions on the ball. That will help me on slower pitches," he said.
The youngster also interacted with the Australia spinner Nathan Lyon and India's R Ashwin about his bowling. "I did speak quite a lot to Nathan Lyon. I asked him about his routines. He told me he maintains simple drills, what his skills are, how he runs the fingers over the ball while spinning, which is his strength. He asked me to follow my routines, find the spot where I should be pitching and enjoy my bowling with a smile," he said.
"He (Ashwin) has given me quite a few ideas. He said at times I should quicken my rhythm, try bowling straighter, make slight tactical changes. He has a lot of knowledge not just about bowling but also game plans. During the Australia tour, we spoke about plans for the England series - if Joe Root is batting, which fielders should be close, what areas to bowl. When he did not play in Brisbane I had good discussions with him."
The chinaman is expected to feature in India's playing XI against England at Chennai for the first Test. He has played his last Test for India back in 2019 against Australia in Sydney.
(With ESPN Cricinfo Inputs)
