"Rishabh Pant has at times forced me to bowl deliveries that have fetched wickets"- Kuldeep Yadav on DC captain in IPL 2024
Delhi Capitals (DC) left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav shed light on how skipper Rishabh Pant has given him confidence from behind the stumps since the former became a part of the franchise in 2022.
After a tough last couple of seasons for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Kuldeep was low on confidence. However, Pant backed him in the DC setup and the spinner opened up on how the skipper wasn't worried about big shots from the opposition to try and induce a false shot.
Speaking to Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel, here's what Kuldeep Yadav had to say about his camaraderie with Rishabh Pant (32:50):
"Rishabh and I have been great friends. He has shown a lot of faith in me even when there were times where batters have gone after me. Sometimes you think to be defensive and close out the over. However, Rishabh has at times forced me to bowl deliveries and that have fetched wickets for DC. He gets a great idea from behind the stumps about what the batters may be trying to do next."
Kuldeep Yadav also thanked DC coach Ricky Ponting for giving him the confidence that he would play each and every game for DC in IPL 2022 despite just returning from a long injury lay off.
Kuldeep Yadav on his time with KKR
Kuldeep had a brilliant IPL 2018 season under Dinesh Karthik's captaincy where he picked up 17 wickets in 16 games and helped KKR reach the playoffs. However, it all went downhill from there as Kuldeep played just five games in the 2020 edition and none in the following season.
On this, he stated (18:50):
"I had a very good season under DK Bhai but then I somehow couldn't pick many wickets. We had good spinners and I feel Eden became a good batting surface. DK Bhai used to give great advice from behind the stumps but I wasn't being able to deliver wickets. I wasn't a regular even in the Indian team and struggled to pick wickets and probably that's why I didn't get gametime (at KKR)."
Kuldeep Yadav acknowledged that he was frustrated with the lack of gametime at KKR. However, he claimed that he matured with time, especially over the past couple of years, and now understands the importance of staying in the present and working on his skills.
With the changes he made in terms of pace and trajectory, Kuldeep Yadav 2.0 became a completely different bowler and has been a vital cog for his IPL franchise as well as the national team.