He taught me everything I have learned - Kuldeep Yadav on Gautam Gambhir

KKR bowler Kuldeep Yadav has spoken about Gautam Gambhir’s contribution to his development. Yadav was a part of the Mumbai Indians back in IPL 2012. However, he wasn’t able to make an impact for the "Men in Blue". After a superb outing in the 2014 U19 World Cup, Yadav was purchased by KKR in IPL 2014.

Initially, Yadav wanted to become a fast bowler. However, due to his short stature, Yadav’s bowling coach asked him to change his bowling style. He felt that Yadav would be better suited for spin bowling. Yadav kept on practicing and mastered the art to perfection. Now, Yadav is one of India’s most promising sin bowler talents.

When Yadav was acquired by KKR, the franchise was already filled with star bowlers. This included Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, and Shakib-al-Hasan. Consequently, Yadav did nothing but warn the bench in the 2014 edition of the IPL. However, this did not discourage him. Instead, Yadav kept learning from his peers in order to become a better bowler in the future.

Gambhir mentored me throughout my time at KKR: Kuldeep Yadav

Out of all the established stars, there is someone who Kuldeep Yadav admired the most during his time at KKR. That man is former KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir. Kuldeep Yadav has always been grateful to Gautam Gambhir for how he helped him stay motivated all time. Before the T20 Champions League in 2014, Yadav stated that he was really low on confidence. It was at that time that Gambhir mentored him to push himself to do better.

In 5 IPL seasons, Yadav played a total of 45 matches. He scalped a total of 43 wickets. His best bowling performance came back in 2018 when he picked 4 wickets and conceded just 20 runs. Kuldeep Yadav only managed to play 5 games in IPL 2020. Still, the KKR management has backed Kuldeep to make a comeback in IPL 2021. The 26-year-old will want to prove his critics wrong by being at his best in the latest upcoming edition of the IPL.

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