"Trophies do matter in the end" - Kuldeep Yadav says winning World Cup is the only dream
Team India spinner Kuldeep Yadav has revealed that his only dream is to lift the World Cup trophy soon. With the left-arm wrist-spinner expecting a long career ahead of him, he reckons trophies hold plenty of significance.
Kuldeep was part of India's 2019 World Cup and 2023 World Cup squad, but the Men in Blue failed in their quest. They will hope to lift their first ICC trophy since 2013 in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Speaking in a podcast of DC Cafe, the spin wizard reflected that it's his first T20 World Cup and he doesn't want to go away without the trophy.
"It's my dream to win the World Cup for India. This is my first T20 World Cup. I'm 29 years old and expect to play for as long as possible. Winning the World Cup is a long-term goal, and there's a bigger process behind it. If you're playing for India for a long time, you've got to win a World Cup. I think trophies do matter in the end, and you're playing to win the trophies. So winning the World Cup is my only dream."
Kuldeep Yadav had a promising IPL 2024 campaign for the Delhi Capitals, picking up 16 wickets in 11 matches at 23.15. The Kanpur-born cricketer also had a decent 2023 World Cup, snaring 15 scalps in 11 games, averaging 28.27.
"I would certainly like to contribute to football" - Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep went on to divulge his plans beyond cricket, revealing that he would like to indulge in football coaching. However, the 29-year-old understands the need to gain extensive experience in it.
"Beyond cricket, I'm hopeful of getting a license in football coaching. I'm not perfect, but I need to work on it a lot. Hopefully, when I leave cricket, I can invest time in it and take proper training. I've got friends who are associated with the game, and after cricket, if I want to do something, I would certainly like to contribute to football," he said.
India will kickstart their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign on Wednesday against Ireland in New York.