Not Kohli or Shastri, but THIS former selector helped Kuldeep Yadav revive his international career

Kuldeep Yadav’s rise is gradual but has started to make headlines now. The left-arm unorthodox spinner is the highest wicket-taker for India this year with 23 wickets in 12 matches and is on the right course to seal his place in the XI for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India later. But, his road to the top was full of obstacles, and former cricketer and selector Sunil Joshi reflected on it.

Following a stellar start to his international career in 2017, Kuldeep picked two ODI hat-tricks in such a short span and, alongside Yuzvendra Chahal, wreaked havoc. All was going well until they came across Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy in the 2019 World Cup.

That hammering against England broke this pair up - fondly known as Kul-Cha (among Indian fans) as they played only three matches together afterwards.

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Later, Kuldeep joining Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL didn’t do any good to his confidence as he kept leaking runs and even got benched for most matches afterwards.

Under Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri, he didn’t find a place in the team and was out seeking assistance.

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His search ended with Sunil Joshi (part of the selection committee then), who brought him under his wings at his academy and worked on a few technicalities that eventually helped him get better with time and taste success.

“I was part of the selection committee when Kuldeep Yadav got dropped. Who came to the rescue? None of the coaching staff, I was the one who got his delivery stride shorter, front arm better, arm speed better, got him to rip more revolutions on the ball,” Sunil Joshi told The Indian Express.

“Suddenly, everybody is talking about Kuldeep Yadav. Ravi Shastri asked Sunil, what have you done with Kuldeep? I said, ‘Ravi bhai, I have not done anything special. These are the simple things that a bowling coach should be doing. If you look at Kuldeep 2.0, his front arm is nice toward the target, his bowling arm is towards the target; he is running towards the target. Shorter stride, there is a free follow through, and he has got quicker through the air. You look at the way he is bowling now,” Joshi added.

Kuldeep getting closer to his best version

The left-armer is having the time of his life in international cricket. After leading the spin-bowling chart during the three-match ODIs against West Indies, with seven wickets in three games, including a four-wicket haul in the first ODI, Kuldeep aims to deliver in the shortest format.

Even in the first T20I that India lost by four runs, Kuldeep returned with one wicket in four overs, going for just 20 runs.

With more matches left and looking at the packed calendar ahead, Kuldeep is sure to add more wickets to his tally.

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