When Kuldeep Yadav gets hit for a four, he doesn't look at the ball but at the captain's reaction: Deep Dasgupta
Deep Dasgupta has made an intriguing observation about Kuldeep Yadav's depleting confidence levels in international cricket.
The cricketer-turned-commentator said that the spinner loses heart quickly in tough situations, which also shows in how often he looks for his captain's reaction after a bad delivery.
Kuldeep Yadav, once India's X-factor in all formats, has lost the favor of the selectors in the IPL and limited-overs international cricket.
In the few chances he has got over the past few months, the 26-year-old has looked a pale shadow of himself, averaging in the high 50s with few wickets to show.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Deep Dasgupta said it was 'disappointing' to see someone of Kuldeep Yadav's talent going through such a phase in his career.
"It is disappointing because genuinely Kuldeep's skill set is very unique. He's not one of those mystery bowlers whose careers end when the mystery is found out. That's not the case, he's a genuine bowler, a genuine wrist-spinner, very unique.
"But the problem, the way I see it, is in his confidence level. If you observe his body language, his shoulders suddenly drop after one bad over. If gets hit for a four, or gives away a full toss, try to notice him in the future, his first instinct isn't to look at the ball but at the captain's reaction."
Kuldeep Yadav hasn't played a T20I since early 2020. The last time he played an ODI, he returned wicketless in two consecutive games before getting dropped.
In his last Test against England in Chennai, he bowled 12 overs for two wickets, even as Axar Patel and R Ashwin ran through the batting lineup.
Kuldeep Yadav needs to manage this bad time and his graph will go up soon: Deep Dasgupta
Deep Dasgupta further said that Kuldeep Yadav doesn't lack talent or potential and only needs to work his way out of this bad phase.
The 44-year-old exuded confidence that if the left-arm wrist-spinner can do that, his career will once again return to an upward trajectory.
"Still, I feel he has the talent and the potential that we have seen and he has proved that as well. But I feel that he has to improve his belief again. I am saying this with my personal experience, you are playing at that level because you have the ability to do that.
"But sometimes when your graph goes down, you start asking yourself questions...you can see any player's career, however successful they are, everyone goes through bad times. How you manage that [is important]. That is the scene with Kuldeep. He needs to manage this time well. If he can do that, then good times will come as well and his graph will go up."
Kuldeep Yadav was passed over for the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the five-Test series against England. However, he has another brilliant opportunity lined up in the upcoming limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka.
A couple of match-winning performances here as the leader of the spin attack could go a long way in restoring his confidence to the required level.