Kuldeep Yadav had made a blistering return to form in the 2022 Indian Premier League. The left-arm spinner picked 21 wickets in 14 games for the Delhi Capitals in the season, and retained his place in the Indian T20I side for the upcoming five-match series against South Africa. Kuldeep had made an international comeback in the side's last T20I series against Sri Lanka, and with his new IPL franchise, Kuldeep backed it up with consistent performances.
The squad for the T20Is against South Africa also saw the return of star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who had led the Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their maiden season. Pandya had been one of the integral parts of India's limited-overs side, but frequent injuries cost him a place in the side.
Incidentally, Hardik's absence in the team also led to the fall of the famed ‘KulCha’ duo in the Indian team – Kuldeep and Yuzvendra Chahal. With his excellent all-round skills, the presence of Pandya allowed both spinners to play together in the XI. And so, Kuldeep admitted that the return of the all-rounder is a good news for them, as well as the Indian team.
“I'm very happy. 100%. It has been a very tough time for Hardik. He had his back injury, he couldn't bowl, he lost a lot of weight as well. I know how a player makes a comeback after injury, so my support was towards him. I'm very happy with his performances now,” Kuldeep said about Hardik in an interview with Sports Yaari.
{{/usCountry}}“I'm very happy. 100%. It has been a very tough time for Hardik. He had his back injury, he couldn't bowl, he lost a lot of weight as well. I know how a player makes a comeback after injury, so my support was towards him. I'm very happy with his performances now,” Kuldeep said about Hardik in an interview with Sports Yaari.
{{/usCountry}}“Gujarat Titans wasn't a very big team, but the way he handled the pressure and took the team along together, the credit must go to him. He led the team calmly. It's a good sign for the Indian team and obviously a good sign for us. We (KulCha) are definitely happy with his return. I wanted him to return to XI and play soon,” he said further.