"I never liked spin, always wanted to be a fast bowler" - Kuldeep Yadav
Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has made a stunning revelation that he desired to be a fast bowler and hated spin bowling when he was growing up.at a very young age,
The 26-year-old has said that he could swing the ball both ways. But because of his diminutive stature, Kuldeep Yadav's coach advised him to try spin bowling.
During a video on KKR's official Facebook page, Kuldeep Yadav talked about his anger on being asked to leave fast bowling.
"Fast bowling appeared easy back then. I think I was good at fast bowling. Even my coach used to feel the same because my wrist would work well. I could swing the ball both ways even at the age of 10-11 years. But the hurdle was my lack of growth. So he asked me to switch to spin bowling," Kuldeep Yadav said.
Kuldeep Yadav revealed that the first ball he tried as a spin-bowler was left-arm wrist-spin, saying in this regard:
"I was initially very displeased because I never liked spin and always wanted to be a fast bowler. I was angry, but when he told be to bowl spin, I tried and started off bowling chinaman (left-arm wrist spin) in the very first attempt".
"I was very angry and didn't go to the ground for 10 days" - Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav revealed that he did not go to training for ten days, as he disliked the idea of leaving fast-bowling. However,, his coach made him realize that spin-bowling could be a very successful option for him.
"I was very angry and didn't go to the ground for ten days, as I was determined to continue with fast bowling. But Sir said if I really wanted to play cricket and come to the ground, I had to take up spin bowling. So I went back to the academy after ten days," Kuldeep Yadav asserted.
As left-arm wrist-spin is a difficult skill, Kuldeep Yadav's coach wanted the youngster to work on his game.
"When Sir asked me to bowl spin, I don't know why, but I subconsciously decided to bowl chinaman (left-arm wrist spin). It just came out voluntarily. Even my Sir understood that it was a rare quality. So he spotted the talent and preferred working on it," Kuldeep Yadav further added.
The 26-year-old has not played much for the Indian team or for his IPL franchise in recent times. But he could have a role to play in the upcoming Test series against England as well as the IPL 2021 tournament.