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It hasn't been the best six months for left-arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav. He has played only one Test and two ODIs during this time and has seen himself getting downgraded in the BCCI's annual contract as well as not finding a place in the Kolkata Knight Riders' Playing XI. The 26-year-old spinner's future also seems uncertain as he hasn't been able to break into the jumbo squad selected for the England tour.
Kuldeep has now opened on what has gone wrong, his state of mind when not getting game time and why he misses MS Dhoni at times.
Miss MS Dhoni's experience: Kuldeep
"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," Yadav told The Indian Express.
"When Mahibhai was there, I and (Yuzvendra) Chahal were playing. Ever since Mahi bhai left, Chahal and I haven't played together. I played only a handful of games after Mahibhai left. I must have played ten-odd games. I had even taken a hat-trick. If you look at the performance as a whole, it will look pretty decent but if one breaks it up then my performance sometimes can look not up to the mark. One has to also look at the opposition we are playing against," he added.
Started questioning myself, says the KKR player
Kuldeep admitted that there were times he started questioning himself and focused on what others were saying rather than backing himself to do well. "No player likes to sit out. Everyone wants to contribute to team success," he said mentioning how he had a word with his coaches who told him to follow the process without worrying about the result.
"I did (speak to Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri, Rohit Sharma). They motivated me but the team combination was such that I wasn’t getting in," the Kanpur-born cricketer added.
Want to work on my bowling and improve batting, reveals the spinner
Kuldeep further revealed his plan of wanting to work on his bowling and even improve his batting. He stated that he would look to get back into his rhythm which can only happen when he plays more matches. "The more I play the better I will be again," he concluded.