"Suddenly everybody is talking about Kuldeep Yadav" - Sunil Joshi reveals working on Indian spinner's transformation
Former Indian spinner Sunil Joshi recalled the transformation of spin bowler Kuldeep Yadav to stage a comeback in the Indian cricket team.
Kuldeep endured a rough patch in 2021 and struggled to find a spot in the shortest format both for India and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL. A knee injury in IPL 2021, where he didn't play a single game for KKR, ended his T20 World Cup hopes in UAE.
The left-arm wrist spinner has managed to hold his spot in the 50-over format for the Indian team since February 2022. With 22 wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 4.87, Kuldeep Yadav is India's leading wicket-taker for India in ODIs in 2023.
On the changes Kuldeep adopted in his training, Sunil Joshi, a left-arm spinner himself during his playing days, told Indian Express:
“I was part of the selection committee when Kuldeep Yadav got dropped. Who came to the rescue? None of the coaching staff, I was the one who got his delivery stride shorter, front arm better, arm speed better, got him to rip more revolutions on the ball."
Joshi added:
"Suddenly, everybody is talking about Kuldeep Yadav. Ravi Shastri asked Sunil, what have you done with Kuldeep? I said, ‘Ravi bhai I have not done anything special. These are the simple things that a bowling coach should be doing’. If you look at Kuldeep 2.0, his front arm is nice toward the target, his bowling arm is towards the target, he is running towards the target. Shorter stride, there is a free follow through, he has got quicker through the air. You look at the way he is bowling now."
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"Kuldeep Yadav found a home at Delhi Capitals and you can see the performances" - Kapil Pandey
After playing 45 matches and picking 40 wickets for KKR from 2016 to 2020, Kuldeep Yadav was released from the squad ahead of the IPl 2022 mega auction. His services were secured by Delhi Capitals for INR 2 crore in the big auction held in February last year.
Kuldeep finished with the most dismissals - 21 wickets at an economy rate of 8.44 - for DC in IPL 2022. The most essential part of the upturn was the affable atmosphere set by coach Ricky Ponting and skipper Rishabh Pant.
Revealing the secrets behind Kuldeep's resounding comeback, childhood coach Kapil Pandey said:
"Ricky Ponting told him ‘I am going to play you all the matches. There is a reason Warnie (Shane Warne) likes you and I can see why. You are going to be our matchwinner'."
He added:
"Rishabh told him ‘aapko acha karna hoga bhaiya, aapse bada bowler nahi hai India mey (you have to do well, there is no better bowler than you in India)’. Shane Watson worked on his batting. He found a home at Delhi [Capitals] and you can see the performances."
Kuldeep Yadav is currently part of India's ongoing tour in the West Indies. He picked up seven wickets in three matches at 8.71 in the recently concluded ODI series.