Kuldeep Yadav, who made his test debut in the year 2017, recently, revealed how nervous and confused he was before the big moment. It was during the fourth and final match of the series against Australia when Kuldeep Yadav got his Test cap, however, he didn’t take long to prove his worth.
The series was locked at 1-1 and team India was under pressure with Virat Kohli not playing the game. But Kuldeep Yadav was able to handle the pressure and his nervousness with his bowling skills and helped team India win the game.
During the latest episode of Knights Unplugged, for the KKR website, Kuldeep Yadav recalling the memories of that match. He spoke about his emotions and what he felt during his Test debut. He said:
“It was an honour! I was on the bench for three matches but kept preparing myself with Anil sir (Kumble), our the then coach. He backed me a lot. He exactly knew the kind of mindset young spinners have. I remember, a day before the debut, we were having lunch together,”
Kuldeep also revealed that he was so excited that he woke up at 3 in the morning and wanted to wake up Virat Kohli but decided against it, fearing that he might get an earful from the skipper. He said:
“He told me, you are playing tomorrow and I want 5 wickets from you. I was a little intimidated but I confidently said that I would definitely take. I slept early at 9PM and got up at 3AM, confused and nervous. I wanted to wake up Virat bhai who was next doors. But I was sure he would get mad at me. So, I went back to sleep and got up at 6AM.”
He added:
“Somehow, I managed to spend one hour, ate breakfast and reached the ground. I was quite nervous but felt comfortable the moment all team members joined in. I got my cap and was feeling blank. It is a dream for all young cricketers to play Test cricket and my dream was coming true. I was pretty emotional. I remember I was fielding at deep square leg, and I was still nervous. But then I decided to just react normally like any other Ranji game,”
He further revealed the happiest moments of his life as he took his first wicket. He revealed:
“When I came to bowl, Steve Smith hit a boundary off a googly in my second over and I realised the difference between international and state level cricket,” recalled the chinaman bowler.
He added:
” Following lunch, I just tried to be relaxed and give my best. I started strategizing my game and bowled a few slower ones to David Warner and then mixed it up with a flipper, feeling it might clean him up or trap him LBW. He played the cut straight to the slip. That was my first wicket. It was one of the most happiest moments of my life and I got really emotional. My confidence rose and I got (Peter) Handscomb and (Glenn) Maxwell too,”
Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav is gearing up for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League, which is all set to kickstart from September 19.