Few people are aware that Kuldeep Yadav, an Indian left-arm wrist spinner, played for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2012 Indian Premier League (IPL). Although the then-17-year-old was denied the chance to play in the lucrative league, he would have gained a lot of knowledge from hanging out in the locker room with so many A-list athletes.
One such renowned figure that Kuldeep had the opportunity to bowl to in the practice area was Sachin Tendulkar. Interestingly, the kid wrist-spinner defeated and impressed the Master Blaster in the nets.
Kuldeep speaks on Breakfast with Champions
Here is what Kuldeep Yadav had to say about his conversation with Sachin Tendulkar following that practice session on the programme “Breakfast with Champions”:
“It was during that season only (IPL 2012) that I had broken into India’s U19 team. I was 17 years old. We had a series in Australia and I didn’t have a great experience. Paaji (Tendulkar) wanted an early net session and I bowled to him for the first time for about an hour. I did dismiss him too.”
Kuldeep was anxious about his U19 achievements at the time, but Sachin Tendulkar reassured him. He received advice from the renowned hitter on how to handle having a bad day without becoming discouraged. Kuldeep Yadav needed to be careful not to be swept up in the IPL lifestyle, Tendulkar added. Regarding this, Kuldeep said:
“I was very young so I opened up about my experience in the Australia series and how I bowled. Paaji made me understand that such things will happen in future too and not to get disheartened. He also told me about how to keep myself away from IPL’s lifestyle and keep a check on what I eat, sleep on time, etc.”
Kuldeep’s form is very crucial for India in a world cup year. The bowler has rediscovered his form after making his comeback in the team.
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