"They Had No Faith In My Skill,": Kuldeep Yadav Unhappy With Kolkata Knight Riders Team Management

Discarded India spinner Kuldeep Yadav opens up about the difficulties in communication he has faced with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) management in the IPL during his downfall. The chinaman who was once a crucial part of both India and KKR’s eleven has now been sided over his poor form in the last couple of years, both in international cricket and in the IPL.

Speaking on Aakash Chopra’s YouTube channel, Kuldeep Yadav said that the communication has been “weak” between him and the KKR management. He underlined that he hadn’t even been kept updated about his place in the eleven by the management.

“If the coaches have worked with you before and are with you for a prolonged period of time, they understand you better. But it becomes very difficult when the communication is weak. Sometimes you don’t even know that whether you will be playing or not, or what the team expects from you,” Kuldeep Yadav said.

“Sometimes you feel that you are deserving to play, can win matches for the team, but you don’t know the reason why you are not playing. The management comes for 2 months with their plans, so that makes it difficult.”

He chalked out the difference between the communication he has had in the Indian team and in KKR. The 26-year-old feels there is a lack of trust in him from the KKR decision-makers.

Kuldeep Yadav didn’t play in a single game in the first half of IPL 2021; he featured in 5 matches last season and in 9 games in the season before that – although, his performance had been abysmal in both those IPL seasons.

“In the Indian team they talk to you when you are not selected, but it does not happen in the IPL. I remember that I had spoken to the franchise before the IPL but in the matches that happened in the middle, nobody gave me an explanation. I was a bit shocked. I felt like there was no trust, like they had no faith in my skill. This happens when the team has many options. KKR now has plenty of spin bowling options,” the chinaman added.

I don’t know how Eoin Morgan sees me: Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav further highlighted the difference between having an Indian skipper and an overseas captain, Eoin Morgan in this case. The Kanpur-born spinner said the communication gap is always more in the case of the latter.

“Definitely, definitely makes a lot of difference. I don’t know how Eoin Morgan sees me. In such cases, the communication gap increases. When it’s an Indian, you can literally walk up to them and ask why you are not playing.

“Suppose, Rohit Sharma is the captain, you can ask freely on ways to improve, what’s my role in the team but most importantly, the captain should also be interested in what he expects from me,” Yadav concluded.

Kuldeep Yadav downfall started from the 2019 World Cup when he was left out of the semi-final. He had slowly faded away from India’s eleven, and now has been left out of the T20 World Cup squad. The second half of the IPL 2021 remains an opportunity for him to make a comeback.

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