I Wasn't Played in Chennai...Am I That Bad? Kuldeep Yadav Reveals the Struggle in Toughest Season of Career

Kuldeep Yadav, who is having a torrid time in his international career, has opened up about his mental health. In an exclusive interview to The Indian Express, he has revealed that he enjoyed serving as the 12th man as his performance on the field was not upto the mark. The 26-year-old has been struggling for last two years but his worse came this year as he failed to find a place in his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders for a single time in whole of IPL 2021. He was even sidelined from the national side and got his one off chance against England in Chennai. The wrist spinner revealed how the pressure on him was intense. Understandably, his last Test in India whites came in January 2019.

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“When you are playing non-stop, players do feel high on confidence. The more one sits out the more it gets tougher. I felt a huge pressure on me when I played the Test against England in Chennai this February . Due to Covid there was nothing happening, so things got really tougher even more last year. It wasn’t the best period,” he said.

“I did, sometimes I felt, ‘what is going on?’. It was difficult times. Sometimes, the mind says, ‘ab shayad woh Kuldeep nahi rahe.’ There were days when you feel serving drinks and being on the bench is for the best – yaar yeh to best seat hai apne liye – and then but there are days you don’t want to be in that place,” he added.

Also read: ‘When The Right Time Comes, Things Will Fall Into Place’

‘Miss Captain Cool’

Kuldeep’s form dropped post IPL 2019 but before this time period he looked a different player altogether. Interestingly, MS Dhoni used to be behind the wicket in those times and guided him constantly which helped him immensely. “Sometimes I miss that guidance because he (Mahi) has great experience. He used to guide us behind the wicket, kept screaming! We miss his experience. Rishabh is there now, the more he plays, the more input he will give in the future. I always felt every bowler needs a partner who can respond from the other end.”

‘Am I That Bad?’

Kuldeep said not playing for KKR has taken a toll on him, a mental toll. “I was especially when I didn’t find a place in my IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders. I wondered, ‘am I that bad?’ It’s a team-management decision and it would be wrong to go and ask them. I wasn’t played in Chennai during the IPL despite knowing it’s a turner. I was a bit shocked but couldn’t do anything.”

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