Legendary England footballer David Beckham visited India as UNICEF's goodwill ambassador during the 2023 edition of the ICC World Cup. The former Real Madrid midfielder and Manchester United icon watched the ICC World Cup semi-final between India and New Zealand with legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar at the Wankhede Stadium. On a three-day visit to India, the English football icon met batting legends Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.
With Beckham becoming the cynosure of all eyes in the World Cup semi-finals, the former Manchester United captain had a brief chat with spin wizard Kuldeep Yadav. In conversation with veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, the Delhi Capitals star recalled his lesser-known interaction with Beckham. Kuldeep told Beckham that he became a fan of the Red Devils after watching Paul Scholes.
'I am a huge Gary Neville fan'
"I met him after the game (2023 WC against SL) and told him that I used to watch Manchester United because of Paul Scholes. I spoke a bit too directly (laughs). I also told him that I am a huge Gary Neville fan and requested him to let him know whenever he meets him. I told that after I finish my career I probably want to try being a football manager," Kuldeep told Ashwin.
{{/usCountry}}"I met him after the game (2023 WC against SL) and told him that I used to watch Manchester United because of Paul Scholes. I spoke a bit too directly (laughs). I also told him that I am a huge Gary Neville fan and requested him to let him know whenever he meets him. I told that after I finish my career I probably want to try being a football manager," Kuldeep told Ashwin.
{{/usCountry}}Kuldeep picked up 11 wickets for India at the World Cup last year. Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, India recorded a perfect 10 in the round-robin phase of the ICC event. However, India lost the final to Australia at home. Speaking to Ashwin on his YouTube channel, Kuldeep revealed that he wanted to become a fast bowler after watching Pakistan legend Wasim Akram at the 2003 World Cup.
'I watched Wasim Akram during…'
"I watched Wasim Akram during the 2003 World Cup and I admired him so much that I wanted to be a left-arm fast bowler. But then once my coach Kapil Pandey asked me what my father's height was. He then realized that maybe since my father was short I also may not become quite tall so instead of fast bowling, I changed into being a spinner," Kuldeep added.