Rohit behind Kuldeep Yadav's comeback, Virat preferred Axar Patel, says DC spinner's childhood coach

Kuldeep Yadav has made heads turn in IPL 2022. After struggling for form and regular appearances since early 2019, for Team India and also his previous franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the 27-year-old wrist spinner has come to his own in his new IPL franchise, i.e. the Delhi Capitals (DC).

So far, Kuldeep has won Player-of-the-Match on all four occasions Rishabh Pant & Co. have won a game in the 15th season. As a result, Kuldeep occupies the second spot in the Purple Cap list, with second-most scalps (17). His comeback is nothing short of a fairytale, after falling down in the pecking order for both KKR and India (across formats).

Reflecting on his student's current form, Kuldeep's childhood coach His coach Kapil Dev Pandey feels Indian captain Rohit Sharma should be credited for trusting the spinner during the West Indies home series where Kuldeep performed and that raised his confidence. "Whenever captains trusted him, Kuldeep delivered. He has a good record in Tests. He has two hat-tricks in ODIs. He has a good T20I record. But still, he didn't get enough opportunities. This is really shocking. Kuldeep's career is protected because of Rohit Sharma. Rohit is the man behind Kuldeep's resurgence. He is a fantastic captain and he knows how to find talent in a big group of players. Ahead of the IPL, Rohit called Kuldeep and gave him the chance (against the West Indies). Kuldeep delivered too by taking two wickets," Pandey toldtimesofindia.com.

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Pandey further mentioned that while Rohit has always backed Kuldeep and been behind his resurgence, former skipper Virat Kohli preferred Axar Patel over Kuldeep. "Rohit kept a close eye on Kuldeep, his Yo-Yo Test and rehab reports. Rohit was impressed with Kuldeep's rehab programme. Rohit should be credited for Kuldeep's comeback. He wouldn't have been here today without the support of Rohit, Pant and Ponting. Every captain has their own style of captaining and picking players. Kuldeep played a lot of cricket under Virat. Virat wants experience in the side. He went with Ashwin and Jadeja. He preferred Axar ahead of Kuldeep because of Axar's batting capabilities. A captain has to trust his players," Pandey added.

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At present, Kuldeep is involved with the DC franchise and would hope to take them past the league stage in IPL 2022. DC haven't been at their consistent best and are at the sixth position with four wins and five defeats in nine games.