Over the years, Indian and Kolkata Knight Riders’ star cricketer Kuldeep Yadav has established himself as one of the best spinners. Kuldeep, who made his debut for KKR under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir became his number one match-winner and his go-to man in tough situations. However, the cricketer had an unforgettable season this time and he is not at all happy with the treatment he got.
Kuldeep revealed the mindset of the new KKR team as compared to that at the time of Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy. He stated that KKR wasn’t taking the tournament seriously. He said:
“When you watch international cricket, you see that there’s that hunger within Virat Kohli to do well and take the team forward and win. When Gauti bhai played for KKR, even he had the same mindset that the team should win. Then I think KKR were lacking in that regard and weren’t thinking in that way, or maybe they weren’t taking this tournament seriously or thinking about their approach if they lost games. These things matter a lot and I think those things were missing,”
Kolkata Knight Riders were seen struggling in the first phase of the now-suspended IPL 2021. But, despite KKR’s struggles, Kuldeep played just 14 games and wasn’t backed by either the team management or the skipper. Unfortunately, Kuldeep didn’t get to play a single game in the IPL 2021 season and he has been hurt by the treatment he has received. Talking about the same. he said:
“Somewhere it does feel unfair that when you play for India but you still don’t get to play franchise cricket. You do feel bad but there is nothing you can do, you can only work hard and ask for reasons. When you do ask for reasons you get some explanation but maybe the kind of backing that I was expecting from KKR I didn’t get. The kind of trust Gauti bhai showed in me, maybe I didn’t get that in this team.”
Further, Kuldeep stated that if he gets a chance to play in the upcoming Sri Lanka tour or the second half of the IPL 2021, he will make the most of his chances. He said:
“If I do get a chance on the Sri Lanka tour or in the second half of the IPL then I will be able to make an impact in the T20 World Cup. And there is another World Cup next year Down Under, so it’s not that this is my last chance. I might be effective in Australia if I get a chance,”
