‘Shane Warne likes you’ - Kuldeep Yadav’s childhood coach quotes Ricky Ponting's words and credits him for Leggie’s comeback

Kuldeep Yadav (Source: Twitter)

Star Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav is leading the wicket-taker chart in the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies with six wickets in four games. Whereas, Team India, after winning the last T20I, has levelled the series at 2-2. Undoubtedly, Kuldeep has been Team India’s most impressive spinner, especially in white ball cricket, in the last 12 months. 

Looking at the records, in the last 12 months, the chinaman bowler has played 25 matches in all formats for India, in which he has picked up 48 wickets. Coming back to India’s last game, in the fourth T20I, Kuldeep dismissed Caribbean star batter Nicholas Pooran in the seventh over of the first innings. The left-arm unorthodox spinner picked up Pooran in his first delivery of the game, as Pooran tried to hit the ball over the long-on but couldn’t connect and was caught by Suryakumar Yadav. 

You (Kuldeep Yadav) are going to be our matchwinner: Ricky Ponting

“Ricky Ponting told him ‘I am going to play you all the matches. There is a reason Warnie (Shane Warne) likes you and I can see why. You are going to be our matchwinner’,” Kuldeep's childhood coach, Kapil Pandey, said to The Indian Express.

Kuldeep’s childhood coach further talked about his stint with the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It is pertinent to mention that Yadav’s career was not going smoothly, as after the 2019 World Cup he lost his place in the team, and his IPL franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), didn’t show any faith in him and kept him on the bench, especially after a knee injury in 2021, when the KKR released the leggie from the squad. He was later picked up by DC in IPL 2022, which eventually helped him make a comeback. 

 Pandey said Pant, treated Kuldeep as his senior because Yadav played in the U-19 World Cup two years before Pant. “Rishabh told him, Aapko acha karna hoga bhaiya, aapse bada bowler nahi hai India mein (you have to do well, there is no better bowler than you in India)’,” says Pandey about Pant and Pandey's conversation. 

Now the Hardik Pandya-led side and the West Indies will be up against each other for the fifth and last T20I game of the Tour and Series at Lauderhill on August 13.