'He guided me as a leader and taught me everything': Kuldeep Yadav highlights Gautam Gambhir's role early in his career
Kuldeep Yadav's journey from being an Under-19 cricketer to becoming a bowler for India wouldn't have been possible without one man – former India batsman and KKR captain Gautam Gambhir.
Kuldeep Yadav was not even 20 years old when he got picked by Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League auction. Kuldeep was coming off the Under-19 World Cup in 2014 when he grabbed the attention of KKR, and not only did he get to be part of the team, he even played his first game for the team in the Champions League later that year.
While it is no secret that it was the legendary Shane Warne who inspired Kuldeep to be a wrist-spinner, his journey from being an Under-19 cricketer to becoming a bowler for India wouldn't have been possible without one man – former India batsman and KKR captain Gautam Gambhir, whom the chinaman bowler credits for guiding and mentoring him immensely early on in his career.
"I was a senior player during the 2014 U19 World Cup and performances happened exactly according to expectations. From there I was selected for KKR and life changed drastically. I got plenty of time in KKR. There were a lot of senior players, especially Gautam Gambhir," Kuldeep Yadav said in a video posted by KKR.
"I always keep thanking him. He guided me as a leader and taught me everything. Even before I was about to play in the Champions League, he advised me what to bowl, how to hone my skills and become a confident player."
Kuldeep was part of the Mumbai Indians squad in 2012 but did not play a game. Even though he was selected for KKR, it wasn't until 2016 that he first represented the team in the IPL, playing three matches and picking up six wickets. Next season onward, Kuldeep got more opportunities under Gambhir and combined to grab 29 wickets across the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Although he was a youngster in the side, Kuldeep admits he was nicely taken care of by some of the reputed names in the team.
{{/usCountry}}Kuldeep was part of the Mumbai Indians squad in 2012 but did not play a game. Even though he was selected for KKR, it wasn't until 2016 that he first represented the team in the IPL, playing three matches and picking up six wickets. Next season onward, Kuldeep got more opportunities under Gambhir and combined to grab 29 wickets across the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Although he was a youngster in the side, Kuldeep admits he was nicely taken care of by some of the reputed names in the team.
{{/usCountry}}"In my first season with KKR, I was a youngster and our team was packed with the likes of Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla and we had a few more good spinners in our squad," Kuldeep added. "I always felt that it was a good time for me to learn and get better. I was coming out of my U-19 days. As KKR have always backed youngsters, they took good care of me. So that first season would always be important for me."
{{/usCountry}}"In my first season with KKR, I was a youngster and our team was packed with the likes of Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla and we had a few more good spinners in our squad," Kuldeep added. "I always felt that it was a good time for me to learn and get better. I was coming out of my U-19 days. As KKR have always backed youngsters, they took good care of me. So that first season would always be important for me."
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