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I miss MS Dhoni's guidance from behind the wickets: Kuldeep Yadav

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Last updated on 12 May 2021 | 05:56 AM
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I miss MS Dhoni's guidance from behind the wickets: Kuldeep Yadav

The India spinner is not just down the pecking order for his national side but is not a regular even for KKR in the IPL

Over the last year or so, Kuldeep Yadav has not featured in many matches for India, across formats. He was demoted in the BCCI contract and also did not make the XI in Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) XI in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. It was not too long ago that head coach Ravi Shastri picked the chinaman bowler as India's No. 1 overseas spinner when he picked up a five-wicket haul in Sydney in 2019. Since then, Kuldeep has played just one more Test.

Speaking of what changed, Kuldeep reckons that the absence of MS Dhoni behind the wickets has made a huge difference. 

"Sometimes I miss that guidance because he (Mahi) has great experience. He used to guide us behind the wicket, kept screaming! We miss his experience. Rishabh is there now, the more he plays, the more input he will give in the future. I always felt every bowler needs a partner who can respond from the other end," Kuldeep said in an interview with indianexpress.com.

"When Mahibhai was there, I and Chahal were playing. Ever since Mahibhai left, Chahal and I haven’t played together. I played only a handful of games after Mahibhai left. I must have played ten-odd games. I had even taken a hat-trick. If you look at the performance as a whole, it will look pretty decent but if one breaks it up then my performance sometimes can look not up to the mark," he added.

Speaking of the last 12 months, Kuldeep admits that he did not get as many chances as he would have liked and also there was a point when he started doubting his abilities. "Sometimes I felt, ‘what is going on?’. It was difficult at times. Sometimes, the mind says, ‘ab shayad woh Kuldeep nahi rahe’ (Perhaps, I am not the same Kuldeep). Sometimes I feel, ‘no, I am still the same’ and I wait for the opportunity," the spinner said.

"There were days when you feel serving drinks and being on the bench is for the best – yaar yeh to best seat hai apne liye (This is the best seat for me) – and then but there are days you don’t want to be in that place. I would think, I should have been there playing. I tried to motivate myself every time. I try to be happy and feel that I am bowling well. There was self-doubt somewhere. It happens with everyone, I started questioning myself," he added.

The lack of games, made Kuldeep make a few changes in his bowling, which by his own admission was not successful. He then went back to the skills that have fetched him success over the years.

"I tried to bowl much faster hoping that batsman doesn’t get time to reach to the ball. I was trying to bowl with pace without realising that it’s not my strength. It’s a mistake I did against England. I realised that I can’t be Rashid (Khan) who can spin at pace. My strength is flight and ability to deceive in air, and turn and I should stick to it. I have been successful because of bowling slow. Sometimes bowling with pace can be good as a variation but in the longer run, it can’t take me where I want to," Kuldeep who is one of four Indian bowlers to pick up an ODI hat-trick said.

The track in Chennai was a spinners' paradise during the IPL 2021 and Kuldeep said that he was surprised that he was overlooked for the matches there.  "I was especially (depressed) when I didn’t find a place in my IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders. I wondered, ‘am I that bad?’ It’s a team-management decision and it would be wrong to go and ask them. I wasn’t played in Chennai during the IPL despite knowing it’s a turner. I was a bit shocked but couldn’t do anything. The bio-bubble life has also thrown challenges for everyone. When I am not playing, nothing looks nice," the KKR tweaker said.

With Kuldeep not finding a place in India's squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, he could be in contention for a place in the limited-overs side that plays Sri Lanka in July. That could be the first step in getting his place back in the Indian side.

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