Just like a mother’s care for a baby, Kuldeep Yadav needed love, attention and a positive environment to blossom at the top level, and he is getting all of that at Delhi Capitals, head coach Ricky Ponting said.
The left-arm wrist-spinner, who is currently second in the list of wicket-takers with 17 scalps, had a rough three years prior to IPL 2022 after being confined to the bench by the erstwhile national team management and also did not get enough support from his previous IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders.
Add to that a major knee surgery that ruled him out of IPL 2021. “We are really pleased for him, he was one of our main targets in the auction. We are giving him a lot of love and attention,” Ponting, a two-time World Cup-winning former Australian captain, said.
“He's a terrific young guy and this talented left-arm leg-spinner really seems to be thriving in this (positive) environment,” Ponting added. Kuldeep was released by the KKR management ahead of the IPL 2022 auctions in February, and Delhi Capitals didn’t waste time in snapping up the chinaman.
At a base price of INR 2 crore, Kuldeep was a steal for the Delhi Capitals management at a time when most of the franchises were sceptical about how he would measure up post-surgery, having not played a lot of cricket prior to that.
In the case of Kuldeep, the Delhi Capitals management has tried to create a protective environment in which the Kanpur player feels secure, leading to him bowling beautifully.
“We are all pretty wrapped with him and make sure that we keep things in line with him and not let him get too far ahead of himself. And at the moment he's bowling beautifully,” added Ponting. Kuldeep, too admitted that he is in better space at the moment.
“I might have become a better bowler, but I am mentally stronger than before. When you fail in life you pick what you can improve on and that is something I had to improve. I don't get scared of failing now,” Kuldeep said after the game against KKR which Delhi Capitals won on Thursday.
“This is the best IPL season for me. I am enjoying my bowling. My focus has been to bowl the right line and lengths,” added Kuldeep.
