Kanpur: The T20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team member Kuldeep Yadav speaks during his felicitation ceremony upon his return after the tournament, at Jajmau, in Kanpur, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (PTI Photo)
India lifted an ICC trophy after 11 years last Saturday in Barbados. Rohit Sharma led the Indian team to beat Aiden Markram’s South Africa in the final to end the trophy drought. Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav played a key role in the side’s campaign.
“This experience is something that could take a lifetime for some people. Thus, I want the team to fare the same way in the next ICC tournament (Champions Trophy) and play its best cricket,” Kuldeep said at a felicitation in Kanpur as quoted by PTI.
The 29-year-old made his T20 international debut in 2017 however, due to the decline in form he was not even part of the squads of 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups.
“I was very egoistic. I had a lot of belief in my skills. I used to believe that I could get anyone out. I had so much confidence in my skill set that I thought what he was saying was not important,” Kuldeep told Ravichandran Ashwin earlier in the year on the latter’s YouTube channel.
However, in the recently concluded World Cup apart from the final the wrist spinner played a crucial role for India in picking wickets in the middle overs and breaking important partnerships. He scalped 10 wickets in the tournament just from five games at a miserly economy of 6.95 and an average of 13.95.
“After Dhoni retired, my performance with the ball wasn’t great. It happens that a person guides you and when that person’s influence is not there anymore, suddenly everything is on your shoulders. It takes time for you to react to the situation,” Kuldeep acknowledged.
“Rohit bhai has always supported me. When I was injured, he was continuously in touch with me and specifically told me about what he wanted from me. After the injury, he picked me directly in the team,” the leg-spinner said in a select media interaction.
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First uploaded on: 06-07-2024 at 21:56 IST