SL vs IND | Kuldeep Yadav rejoices comeback from days of 'self-doubt'

India went back to playing with the wrist spin combination of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal after a period of nearly two years and Kuldeep could not hide his happiness. He said that they both share a 'good bond' over the years and share their input on the flow of the game while on the field which ultimately helps the side and both of them as well.

"I'm very happy that we both got to play together after quite some time. I think we're comfortable with each other and back each other. Whenever it is needed on the field, I tell him something or he tells me things. Our bonding is good. Maybe because we're so comfortable with each other, it shows on the ground. Our performance was quite good, and the way we did well, playing together after so long, was good for the team,” Kuldeep said in the post-match press conference.

Kuldeep came into the tour of Sri Lanka under enormous pressure after being dealt severely by the England batsmen in the series preceding the IPL 2021. Then, the Kolkata Knight Riders could not find him worthy enough of a place in the side albeit they were playing on low and slow surfaces in Chennai. 

He did not hide that he was nervous about making a sort of comeback after a long time but credited Rahul Dravid for creating an atmosphere that kept him going. He said that Dravid emphasized on correct 'processes' instead of worrying about results in the last 15 days that helped him calm his nervousness while being with the Indian side.

"Pressure… nervousness is always there when you play, and I was playing after a long time," he said. "Rahul [Dravid] sir backed me a lot and motivated me. We spoke a lot, and he told me that I should just enjoy bowling, focus on the processes that we have worked on in the last 15 days, and don't be tense about the result. I'm very happy that my performance was good. You're definitely nervous if you play cricket after so long, and you want to perform well."

Kuldeep also pointed out the challenges of staying inside biosecure bubbles, especially when things are not going your way. He said that a prolonged period of isolation while not being trusted by the team management to execute and deliver on the plan creates a lot of self-doubt. However, he has accepted that with such a competitive side he will not get opportunities all the time the that he will have to endure some tough days as well.

"It is difficult in bubbles. If you don't play, you get a lot of doubts in your mind. There are many people who want to help you, talk to you. But if you talk to too many people, then you create doubts within yourself also. But this is a team sport, and sometimes people get opportunities, sometimes you don't. You have to just wait for your chance.

"We're lucky that the kind of atmosphere that is there in the team is so good. We've been in a bubble for a month, and the first 14 days were in quarantine in Mumbai. Then when we came here, the series also got rescheduled, so we got five more days. The kind of atmosphere that is there is so good, that we didn't feel it,” Kuldeep added.

Kuldeep had a tough outing in the ODI World Cup in 2019 while bowling to England batsmen, who took a liking to him and smashed a lot of sixes. The failure against England in ODIs compounded the crisis for Kuldeep who slowly went down in the pecking order of the Indian spin department. 

His bad form in the two editions of the IPL followed by no chances in India’s ODI and T20I sides raised questions on Kuldeep’s future. However, he lamented no help for spinners in the pitches against England and asserted that careers don’t end on the basis of one or two bad games. 

He complained that his critics always overlooked success and bagful of wickets while analysing his recent failures and hence wrote him off.

"Sometimes you get hit for runs, but other times you get wickets too. I have taken three-four wickets often, taken five-six wickets too. If people talk about that more, it'll be nicer. Nobody's cricket is finished after one game or two games. I think the last series was good for England because the pitches were very good in Pune. Spinners didn't have much help. It happens sometimes, the pitch is not in your favour. But sometimes you should credit the batsmen too for batting well, rather than say someone's cricket is finished,” Kuldeep asserted.

Kuldeep shone brightly in the first ODI against Sri Lanka and picked up two wickets in the middle overs. His performance will give heart to the Indian team management as he and Chahal can turn things around in the middle phase of the games in ODIs. 

If Kuldeep rediscovers his mojo and regains his place on the basis of performance along with his partner Chahal, India will have a formidable wicket-taking bowling lineup.