"I didn’t know how to console him because I myself was in tears" - Kuldeep Yadav's coach on Kuldeep's maturity
Many fans and former cricketers were in shock when Kuldeep Yadav was dropped by India for the second Test against Bangladesh because the pitch had grass covering, so they wanted to play an extra seamer. The wrist-spinner had to sit out despite picking eight wickets in the first Test.
One of the most affected people was Kuldeep's coach Kapil Pandey, as he couldn't believe that despite contributing with both bat and ball, the wrist-spinner was left out of the side.
Speaking in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Pandey expressed his emotions when he saw Kuldeep Yadav dropped from the Indian team. He also spoke about the maturity Kuldeep showed when he spoke with the spinner just after being dropped for the second Test. He said:
"Kuldeep has become a lot more patient with time. Initially, I used to worry a lot about this kid when he didn’t used to get the deserved chances. He has two ODI hattricks, one hattrick for India A and also one more in the U19 World Cup. Despite being the Man of the Match, when he was dropped in the second Test, I didn’t know how to console him because I myself was in tears. But the way he told me to stay patient and keep faith that things will work out eventually, shows how matured he has become."
He added:
"He has understood that he needs to focus on the process and not worry about something that isn’t in his control. I am sure he will do well, and the patience that he has developed will help him make a strong comeback."
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"Koi baat nahi sir, agli baar isse bhi accha karunga"- Kuldeep Yadav to his coach
The way Kuldeep Yadav took the news of his drop showed how mature the 27-year-old has become. Any player could have been disheartened to get dropped despite putting up a Player of the Match performance.
However, Kuldeep understands that he was benched for team combination sake as he vowed to his coach that he will work even harder. His coach said:
"He also scored 40 runs with the bat, and I was really happy that he was able to showcase his all-round abilities. But when he was dropped for the next Test, I felt really bad because I didn't know what else was needed from him. Perhaps he should have converted that 40 into a hundred. Kuldeep told me, "Koi baat nahi sir, agli baar isse bhi accha karunga. (No problem sir, next time I will try and perform even better)." Hopefully he will get more chances in the near future."
Kuldeep Yadav's fifer rated as the best bowling performance of the series by people. https://t.co/341c31KoQi
Kuldeep Yadav will probably hope to get to play most of the Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home in February 2023.