Being A Senior KKR Player I Need To Perform Consistently: Kuldeep Yadav

Indian leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav made his debut for Kolkata Knight Riders [KKR] seven seasons ago but in the last two editions, the chinaman seems to have lost the confidence of the team-management, resulting in him being consigned to the bench for the majority of the season.

Kuldeep has played just nine matches for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the past two editions. In the 2019 season, he managed just 4 wickets at an average of 71.50. The following season proved to be even more disastrous as he managed just 1 wicket in five outings at an average of 92.

With Varun Chakravarthy performing consistently, Kuldeep Yadav was once again consigned to the bench. And, so it came as a real surprise when the KKR management decided to retain the Indian spinner ahead of the 2021 mini-auction.

In a recent interview published on KKR’s website, Yadav has admitted that being a senior member of the side, he needs to upgrade his skills and perform on a consistent basis.

I have been playing for KKR for seven years now, and being a senior player, I need to perform consistently. It is challenging but then you need to keep upgrading yourself so that you can maintain a standard always. It’s actually important because franchise cricket is tough with all the expectations from the fans,” Kuldeep Yadav said according to the official KKR website.

“It is a kind of pressure, and of course, that makes me nervous because I want to give my best to my franchise in each game. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. It teaches you a few lessons too as you stay relaxed when you do well and when you don’t play well, you get a chance to reflect on the errors. This is how you learn and cricket is a game where you can’t keep performing well always,” he said.

Kuldeep also went on to reveal how his bowling action came naturally to him and how he kept working on it to make it better.

“When my coach asked me to try out spin, I didn’t know why I chose to bowl chinaman. It just came naturally to me. My coach felt it was a rare quality in me, so he kept working on it,” he added.

Also Read: Kuldeep Yadav Opens Up On Gautam Gambhir’s Role In His Development During Their Time Together For KKR