"I got the confidence and Rohit motivated me a lot" - Kuldeep Yadav after match-winning spell vs MI
Kuldeep Yadav shone on his Delhi Capitals (DC) debut, picking up three crucial wickets against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday.
The cricketer from Uttar Pradesh largely warmed the benches for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the last two seasons and eventually lost his rhythm.
He was picked up by the Delhi franchise for ₹ 2 crore at the IPL 2022 mega auction and has made the opportunity count as far as the first match is concerned.
The 27-year-old spinner credited India captain Rohit Sharma for boosting his confidence. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Kuldeep Yadav said:
"Igot the confidence and Rohit motivated me a lot. Whatever changes need to be done, I had that communication with him."
He then went onto add:
"And here in the Delhi set up I spoke to Ricky (Ponting) and he backed me a lot. I was lacking rhythm from a long time and I worked on my rhythm a lot and never compromised on turning the ball despite the variation in pace."
Incidentally, Kuldeep produced the first breakthrough for Delhi Capitals after Rohit Sharma got his side off to a flying start. He got the better of Anmolpreet Singh in his next over to pull the brakes on Mumbai's free flow of runs.
He was called back in the 16th over and responded well, dismissing Kieron Pollard to finish with figures of 3/18 in his four overs.
Banking on his superlative spell, Rishabh Pant & Co managed to contain the five-time champion for 177 runs before chasing down the total out of nowhere.
Just as the game looked to be slipping away from DC's grasp, Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel forged a 74-run match-winning partnership to take their side home.
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"Thanks to the facilities and trainers at the NCA, I recovered very well" - Kuldeep Yadav
Meanwhile, things were upside down a couple of months back and Kuldeep had to undergo knee surgery.
The difficult period then began as he spent months at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore to regain fitness before making a comeback to the Indian team after Rohit Sharma took over as India's full-time captain.
Kuldeep is indebted to the physios and trainers at the BCCI facility. He added:
"It was a difficult time for me. I was out with injury for five months. It was important for me to go for the rehab and thanks to the facilities and trainers at the NCA, I recovered very well and in time to get back into the Indian set up."
Kuldeep Yadav will hope to continue the momentum in the upcoming with an eye on a T20 World Cup spot, slated to take place in Australia later this year.