Mahi bhai passed on a message that I shouldn’t lose confidence after RCB bashing, reveals Kuldeep Yadav
BCCI
Kuldeep Yadav has credited MS Dhoni for bringing positivity to him after he lost his place in the Kolkata Knight Riders team after Moeen Ali bashed him for 27 runs in one over. The left-arm wrist-spinner has also added that he was very emotional as the match slipped from their hands.
Kuldeep Yadav was smacked for 27 runs in one over by Moeen Ali and Virat Kohli and as soon as the over ended, he was inconsolable and was on his knees near the boundary. It would have been okay for normally brave Kuldeep had it been one-off, but he had already endured a tough IPL and this became the final nail in the coffin as KKR decided to relegate him to the bench. While people are having speculation about his current state of mind, the wrist-spinner now revealed that MS Dhoni helped him recover.
"Mahi bhai (Dhoni) passed on a message that I shouldn’t lose confidence, I need to focus on my game and that really helped me a lot. He has always been a pillar of support ever since I made my debut. People only talk about how he helps us from behind the stumps but it’s actually the work, the advice he gives us in-between or after the matches, that does a world of good,” Kuldeep told the Hindustan Times.
In the 2017 edition of the IPL, Kuldeep took 17 wickets in 16 games, which accentuated his progression and provided him a place in the Indian side, but this season, Kuldeep's wicket tally stood at three from nine games at an average of 71.50 with the economy rate being 8.66. That RCB match contributed to everything and that, of course, made him disappointed.
“I wasn’t negative but wasn’t positive either at that time. When I was hit for so many runs in that over I was very disappointed. I knew I could get him (Moeen) out and we had a plan too but I just couldn’t execute it. The game slipped out of our grasp because of that over and that’s why I was very emotional,” Kuldeep added.
Virat Kohli has always spoken about the importance of creating a strong team culture and how that would help the team in the longer run. He even once told that the team remains as it is even if they play for different teams in the Indian Premier League, and this is an idea which Kuldeep is more interested in. Speaking on the same, the Uttar Pradesh spinner added that the Indian team is like a family and that doesn't change in the IPL.
“I didn’t have the chance to meet Virat bhai after that match but we met earlier in the season, he always points out the things I need to improve. We are all like a family and that doesn’t change even during the IPL,” Kuldeep added.
