Wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav is enduring a tough time in international cricket for quite a while now. He was part of the Indian squads on the Australia tour and the home series against England, but didn’t get many opportunities.
While the 26-year-old played only one ODI Down Under, he featured in one Test and two ODIs against England without any notable performance.
See Also: KKR didn't take the tournament seriously, frustrated with lack of chances- Kuldeep Yadav
In an exclusive chat with ANI, Kuldeep on Wednesday (June 16) opened up on the disappointment of not playing enough matches.
"To be very honest, frustrating wouldn't be the correct word, as a player you are sad because you want to perform, you want to play the match. You can think like that, individually but not with cricket. Cricket is a team sport, and you have to play as per the requirements of the team. You have to think about the team and team combination matters a lot so it's better to stay positive, keep putting in efforts, and wait for your opportunity to perform. Team combination for me has always been good, all have been supportive," he said.
"I think since the last year, I haven't played as many matches. I haven't got as many possibilities. Generally, when you aren't playing, you don't know as many match tactics. When you keep playing, you have confidence, you have command on your sport," he added.
Kuldeep also revealed how the team management has supported him in this phase.
"It is very important to have conversations with your team management. Arun sir and Ravi sir always have positive things to say. They used to tell me about the changes needed in bowling techniques, the pace, demand of the situation, etc. We worked on that, plans to tackle each batsman," he stated.
During the now-suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, Kuldeep Yadav wasn’t given a chance in playing XI by his franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
The left-arm spinner also expressed his disappointment on not being given an opportunity by the KKR management on turning wickets like in Chennai.
"The thought that why aren't you playing does cross your mind. As I said, combination matters a lot. The fittest gets to play. It was a little sad, that I didn't get to play in Chennai, I was hoping to play but nevertheless nothing to be sad about. Just have to continue your efforts, your work, and hopefully coming back with good performance is my motto. There are good days and then there are bad days but your efforts should always be on," he remarked.
With the COVID-19 situation forcing the BCCI to send a second-string squad to Sri Lanka for the white-ball series in July, Kuldeep finds himself with an opportunity to impress and claim his place in India’s T20 World Cup 2021 squad.
"For T20, nothing more than performance matters if you have to make space for yourself in the team. There is the Sri Lanka tour, then IPL, it will all be very important for me. I hope that I perform well to take place in my team. If I perform well in both the tournaments then hopefully, I'll get a place in the T20 World Cup team," he said.
(With ANI inputs)
