Chahal and I back each other, says Kuldeep Yadav

After a successful tour of South Africa, young left-arm unorthodox bowler Kuldeep Yadav is now gearing up for the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 23-year-old India spinner was retained by his old side, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), through the Right-to-Match card option. Kuldeep opened up on his plans for the season and decoded his magnificent partnership with leggie Yuzvendra Chahal which has now got them the name Kul-Cha. He revealed that they are major contributors to each other’s success and also opened up about his time ahead with the Kolkata Knight Riders.

On being asked how special it is to bowl in tandem, he said, “I have played a lot of cricket with Chahal. In limited-overs cricket, it is important to bowl in partnerships. The middle overs are crucial. Our plan has always been to plot breakthroughs. The best part is that we back each other. There is no pressure or any sense of competition.”

He further explained that bowling in partnership helps in enhancing their individual performances as well. Together they picked 35 wickets in between them during the 6-match ODI series where Chahal bagged 18 wickets and Kuldeep scalped 17.

“We keep talking all the time. We talk about field placements, how to read a particular batsman’s mind and place a fielder for him at a suitable position. These conversations happen during matches as well as at the nets. The more we bowl in partnership, the more it gets easy.”

Credit to Kohli and management

He further added that the team management and skipper Virat Kohli deserve credit for backing them. Kohli has often showered praise on the wrist-spinning duo for their bravery and courage they bowl with and has also gone to say they could be India‘s X-Factor for the 2019 World Cup.

“The support staff and the captain should be credited for protecting every player. They gave us enough chances to prove ourselves. 2017 was my best year. I got whatever I thought I would and I picked up wickets on every surface. I hope to continue the process in 2018,” he said.

How KKR helped him

Kuldeep Yadav belongs to a rare category of bowlers called ‘chinaman.’ He explains how he got tips from coaches on his exclusive style with help from other chinaman bowlers too.

“I was fortunate to have spent time with Brad Hogg (former Australia chinaman bowler) in the KKR camp in the initial years. He taught me the wrong ’uns and told me a lot about variations in this style and how it could be implemented. I also worked hard with my coach, Kapil Pandey, and Narendra Hirwani (former India leg-spinner),” he said in an interview with Sportstar.

He also showered praise on his IPL franchise KKR for giving him the opportunities and grooming him for the big stage. He also gave credit to the team’s move of bringing in youngsters like Shubman Gill and Kamlesh Nagarkoti and his equation with the former skipper and the newly appointed skipper for the 2018 edition.

“They have always promoted youngsters. It leads to a great environment.”

“They are now like a family. I have spent four years with them. It is a good feeling to stay connected to a team. Gauti bhai (former skipper Gautam Gambhir) supported me a lot. It feels good that I will continue with KKR.”

“DK bhai and I have known each other for a long time. We have a good understanding. I am sure he will lead the team well and get us to a good position. He is a good man.”