Last 3 years have been very tough for Kuldeep Yadav. Not getting a place in the playing XI while with the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise. Not getting enough chances in the national team and then injury. Most of his time was spent sitting on the bench. However, the left-arm wrist spinner came back with a bang. He is the second highest wicket taker in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 with 17 wickets. Kuldeep was released by KKR. He was bought by Delhi Capitals for the base price i.e. Rs 2 crore in IPL 2022 Mega Auction.
Kuldeep Yadav’s childhood coach Kapil Dev Pandey has considered many aspects to be important for his return. In his view, the change in the captaincy of Team India is also an important link in this. In an interview to Times of India, he said, ‘Rohit Sharma has also contributed a lot in saving Kuldeep’s career. Rohit Sharma spoke to Kuldeep ahead of IPL. Gave him a chance in the West Indies series. Kuldeep proved his confidence right by taking 2 wickets. Rohit was very impressed with Kuldeep’s rehab. The credit for Kuldeep’s comeback should go to Rohit.
Kapil Dev Pandey claimed that Axar Patel was Virat Kohli’s choice. He said, ‘Kuldeep played most of the cricket under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. Virat needed experience in the team. He went with Ashwin and Jadeja. He preferred Axar Patel over Kuldeep as he can bat well. A captain should trust his players. Please tell that Kuldeep Yadav Virat Kohli He made his international debut under his captaincy.
Kapil Dev Pandey said, ‘Kuldeep did not get many opportunities in the last three years. Be it Test, ODI, T20 or IPL, no one gave him a chance. KKR did not show trust in him. They didn’t give him many chances. Kuldeep was disappointed, he is in touch with me. I told him not to get discouraged and not to miss any training, net or practice session. I told him to keep working hard. This will help him to work harder.
Kapil Dev Said further, ‘When Delhi Capitals bought him in the auction, I told him not to look at the price for which he was bought. I said you have a great team, set up. You will get ample opportunities to showcase your talent. He said that I only want to perform in the IPL and return to the Indian team in all formats.
Kapil Dev said, ‘He was hungry for opportunities. I am thankful to the Delhi Capitals team for giving him enough opportunities and supporting him. KKR did a great job releasing Kuldeep. It worked really well in Kuldeep’s favour. They (KKR) retained Kuldeep for a year and then did not give him a chance, which was quite shocking.