Kuldeep Yadav reveals why he argues a lot with Virat Kohli over his favourite footballer

It’s not a secret that most members of the Indian team are avid football fans. The national side is filled with players who ardently follow a particular football club or player. Also, most players indulge in a football session during warm-ups prior to a game. Hence, every cricketer in the national side is more or less associated with the football world.

Team India spinner Kuldeep Yadav recently revealed that he is a big fan of Brazil’s Neymar. However, he also revealed that this leads to several arguments with Kohli as the Indian skipper is a big fan of Cristiano Ronaldo. The chinaman bowler also said that he is a fan of FC Barcelona and Kohli once tried to troll him after Ronaldo scored a hat-trick. However, Kuldeep hit back at the Indian skipper after Messi scored a hat-trick as well.

“The first football match I saw was Brazil vs Spain in 2012, in which Neymar was playing. I saw him for the first time, and I thought he is a great player. His quality and skill level was too good. He is my favourite player since then. Many people don’t like him. Me and captain Virat Kohli argue a lot over this because he is a Ronaldo fan,” Kuldeep told Cricbuzz.

“Yes, absolutely. My favourite club is FC Barcelona. Once, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick for Portugal. So, Kohli came to me and he was showing me a video. That evening, Messi also scored a hat-trick as well, so I showed that to him and said– look at this,” added Kuldeep.

Kuldeep Yadav also reminisced his Test debut

Kuldeep also revealed how Anil Kumble motivated him ahead of his Test debut, against Australia in the fourth and final Test in Dharamshala of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2016-17. Kumble asked the wrist-spinner to take five wickets and Kuldeep impressed everyone after he returned with 4 for 68 in his first innings.

Kuldeep has gained many accolades for his bowling, especially in the shorter formats of the sport. He was set to don the Kolkata Knight Riders jersey in the thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League. However, due to COVID-19 outbreak, the much-awaited league has been postponed indefinitely to tackle the pandemic. Kuldeep is also touted to play a vital role in India’s expedition in this year’s T20 World Cup in Austalia.