"India's captain, coach and seniors have played a huge role in backing Kuldeep" - Kuldeep Yadav's coach Kapil Pandey
Kuldeep Yadav's comeback to the Indian team across formats has been a testament to his hard work and never-give-up attitude. However, his coach Kapil Pandey also credited head coach Rahul Dravid and senior players like Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma for giving Kuldeep the confidence to turn his fortunes around.
It all began at the NCA where Kuldeep was recovering from an injury his coach has revealed. Dravid and Rohit were in contact with him and were monitoring his progress as they knew he is a genuine match-winner.
A successful IPL 2022 season followed and Kuldeep Yadav hasn't looked back ever since. Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Kuldeep's coach Kapil Pandey opened up on the contribution of the team management and senior players in the spinner's successful comeback. He said:
"When he was injured and was at the NCA, Rohit Sharma had supported him and naturally, Dravid has also offered the same support. So the captain, coach and even the senior players like Virat Kohli have a huge role in backing him and helping him make a comeback."
Kapil Pandey on Kuldeep Yadav's determination
After Kuldeep Yadav failed to even get a single game in IPL 2021, his future in international cricket seemed pretty bleak. However, his coach spoke about how determined he was to make a spirited comeback.
The road ahead wasn't easy for Kuldeep as he had to battle a few injury concerns as well. However, he continued to work hard with Kapil Pandey and also at the NCA and got a chance to prove his mettle with the Delhi Capitals.
On this, his coach stated:
"Kuldeep has worked really hard for his comeback. We have worked together on his pace and he continued to put in the effort whether or not he was in the team. His efforts bore fruit as he got picked for Delhi in the IPL and then he picked up 21 wickets."
Kapil Pandey also claimed that the goal for both him and Kuldeep was to make the later a genuine match-winner across formats. On this, he added:
"Kuldeep has never given up and found a way to make a comeback after the injury. We prepared in such a way that he was ready to play all three formats for India.
"The result of the same was seen in the Test series where he varied his pace really well and spun the ball both ways. The Bangladesh batters found it pretty difficult to read him and he picked up eight wickets."
Kuldeep Yadav could prove to be a huge weapon for India with the ODI World Cup in October this year.