Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Siddharth Kaul bowls during a practice session at IS Bindra PCA Stadium on Tuesday. (Express Photo by Jasbir Malhi)
With five wickets in three matches so far in this year’s IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer 27-year-old Siddharth Kaul is among the top-ten bowlers in this edition of IPL. Kaul, who was the third-highest wicket-taker with 16 wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad in last year’s IPL, was once again bought by the Kane Williamson-led team for Rs 3.8 crore and the Punjab speedster has played his part in the three wins for the table-toppers. Kaul, whose father Tej Kaul worked as a trainer with Indian cricket team in the 1990’s, believes that variations in his pace has helped him this season.
“I have been working on my pace and the variations. My team-mates have been telling me about the difference in pace and I am also trying some variations in knuckle ball. I hope as the tournament progresses, I can perfect these variations, which will help my bowling. I keep talking to Bhuvi bhai and my focus is on understanding the mindset. I have played with him since U-19 days and we discuss about different seam positions of ball and when to bowl these different variations,” shared Kaul.
Kaul, who was Punjab’s leading wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy in 2016 with 35 wickets, had an impressive haul of 16 wickets from 10 matches for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL last year before picking up eight wickets to emerge as second highest wicket-taker for India ‘A’ team in the tri-series in South Africa. The performance also earned him a call-up into the Indian team for three-match series against Sri Lanka last year. Even though, Kaul did not get a chance to play in any match in the series, the Punjab pacer is not disheartened.
“I have always concentrated on my basics and whatever opportunities I get, I focus on those and work hard on my strong points. My mindset has been positive and I have a self belief that I get opportunities or not, I will keep helping my team win. Sunrisers Hyderabad have an experienced bowling attack and there are international players who have played in this format at the international level too. I only see myself as a helping hand in such kind of attack. The team atmosphere is good and our captain Kane Williamson has a lot of experience in this format. I played against him in the 2008 U-19 World Cup and his inputs are valuable for every bowler,” shared Kaul.
The Punjab speedster has also been working with Dr Amit Bhattacharjee, mental trainer of 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, since the last one year and Kaul believes that the mental training has helped his game. “Things like these surely help. Amit sir has been my mentor and before the start of IPL, I attended some sessions under him. It brings calmness in my game and helps me to perform better in pressure situations in matches. We have worked on my breathing process and if it is normal during matches, the success rate will be higher,” shared Kaul, who works with State Bank of India, Chandigarh.