Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli played huge role in Kuldeep Yadav's comeback, says spinner's coach Kapil Pandey

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav’s coach Kapil Pandey showered praise on head coach Rahul Dravid and senior players like Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma for backing Yadav to turn his fortunes around. The 28-year-old faced a setback last year as he injured his knee at the IPL and underwent surgery in September.

Following the knee injury, the spinner also suffered a hairline fracture in his wrist which kept him out of action for a good part of the year. However, the time away from the game helped him work on his rhythm at the NCA as he was determined to make a stronger comeback and was backed by the senior players of the side and the head coach.

"When he was injured and was at the NCA, Rohit Sharma had supported him and naturally, Dravid has also offered the same support. So, the captain, coach and even the senior players like Virat Kohli have a huge role in backing him and helping him make a comeback,” Kapil was quoted as saying by India Today (h/t Sportskeeda).

Kuldeep has worked really hard for his comeback: Kapil Pandey

After failing to get a single game in IPL 2021, it appeared that Kuldeep would be kept on the sidelines of the national side. However, his coach further stated it was his determination and efforts which eventually bore fruit to make a successful return.

"Kuldeep has worked really hard for his comeback. We have worked together on his pace and he continued to put in the effort whether or not he was in the team. His efforts bore fruit as he got picked for Delhi in the IPL and then he picked up 21 wickets. Kuldeep has never given up and found a way to make a comeback after the injury. We prepared in such a way that he was ready to play all three formats for India,” he added.

Kuldeep relished a terrific comeback in India’s win in the first Test match against Bangladesh as he picked up eight wickets across both innings and played a vital knock of 40 runs. He will aim to cement his spot in the side keeping in mind the ODI World Cup on the horizon.