In the last few years, several youngsters have charmed us with their talent. The Indian Premier League has played a crucial role in this matter. Amongst these numerous emerging stars, one name has time and again captured the nation’s attention. Yes, we are talking none other than our very own chinaman bowler, Kuldeep Yadav!
With a slow start, a dark phase in between, lot of support and love, Yadav seems to have finally found his tune. The talented bowler is earning praise from not just his team, but other legendary cricketers. What is so special about this lad? What makes him a name to look out for? Let us find out.
Kuldeep Yadav Biography
About Athlete | |
Full Name | Kuldeep Yadav |
Age | 24 years |
Date of Birth | 14 December 1994 |
Hometown | Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh |
Height | 168 cm |
Weight | 63 kg |
Coach | Kapil Pandey |
Parent | Ram Singh Yadav and Usha Yadav |
ODI Debut | 23 June, 2017 |
Test Debut | 25 March 2017 |
T 20 Debut | 9 July 2017 |
Batting Style | Left Handed Batsman |
Bowling Style | Slow Left Arm Chinaman |
Journey
Kuldeep has had very humble beginnings. He was born in Unnao in Uttar Pradesh. His father is a brick kiln owner and his mother is a homemaker. As a school student, Yadav was completely focused on his studies and performed very well at school. Cricket was just a fun game then, like most of us. Perhaps, his father had an inclination that his son is made for greater things and pushed him to pursue cricket seriously.
His father introduced him to his first coach, Kapil Pandey, and Yadav’s life took a big turn that day. Impressed with the young lads’ turns and variations, Pandey decided to train him as a chinaman bowler.
“I keep watching videos of Warne. His grip of the ball, length of deliveries and use of the crease are unbeatable. I try to learn from the footage,”— Kuldeep Yadav talks about his idol Shane Warne in an interview.
Though he had a decent start to his career, there was a phase in between, when Yadav wanted to give it all. It happened when he wasn’t selected in Uttar Pradesh’s Under-15 team. Once again, it was his father who helped him get out of that dark phase by continuously encouraging and supporting him.
National Team
Happy Birthday @msdhoni bhai! Its a privilege to play with you and bowl with you behind the stumps. Your inputs are priceless. Wish you all the happiness and success in the years ahead! pic.twitter.com/xjOG0N1ucO
— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) July 7, 2018
Finally, all efforts bore fruit and the year 2017 turned out to be the milestone year for Kuldeep Yadav. He made his international debut against Australia in March. In September 2017, he made an ODI hat-trick when he was playing against Australia at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. He holds the distinction of being the first slow left-arm chinaman bowler to represent India in Test Cricket.
In June 2017, Yadav made his ODI debut against West Indies. The T20I debut followed soon after. Within a year, he made five-wicket hauls in all three formats of the game. With his feat, he joined the coveted league of bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Imran Tahir, and Ajantha Mendis.
In January 2019, Yadav was an integral cog against Australia and his stellar performance helped him jump places in rankings. In February 2019, he was at the second position in T20 I bowlers rankings.
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Great to see this guy and everyone else stepping up together. 💪🏼 On to the Tests now! ✌🏼 @imkuldeep18 pic.twitter.com/OES174LSvk
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) November 25, 2018
Known to always cheer and support youngsters, Captain Kohli has always had Yadav’s back. He played a crucial role in helping Yadav secure the coveted Test berth. When Yadav made his Test debut, a chinaman bowler was playing for India after 85 years. He also did justice to Kohli’s belief by taking the wicket of David /Warner in the Test.
“He [Virat Kohli] kept speaking to me and calming me down. I was desperate to play for the country and often you lose the plot and get overawed by the situation. After all, it was a dream I was realizing. But Virat bhai kept asking me to enjoy the moment and not think too much about the situation. He kept asking me to focus on my strengths and bowl in the right areas. It was a good feeling to have him egg you on from the sidelines,” the spinner told news18.com in an interview.
Indian Premier League
Initially, Yadav was signed on by the Mumbai Indians. However, he never really got an opportunity to showcase his talent there. It was finally in 2014 that Yadav was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders at the insistence of Captain Gambhir.
“Gauti Bhai gave me the confidence that I’d play all matches and wouldn’t get dropped even if I didn’t perform to KKR’s expectations. Gauti Bhai wanted me to become a player joh lamba khele [someone who will have a long career], as opposed to having a short career,” Yadav told scroll.in.
Gambhir’s faith in the youngster turned out to be a boon for him and the entire Kolkata Knight Riders team. Yadav is performing exceptionally well.
Sharing the dressing room with Australian bowler, Chinaman bowler to be specific, has been a big take back for Yadav. He has helped Yadav tremendously with the nuances and techniques.
King of hearts, a great entertainer and the coolest boss you can get. Happy Birthday @iamsrk bhai. Keep spreading smiles ! pic.twitter.com/XIv69Aqddc
— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) November 2, 2018
Interesting Facts about Kuldeep Yadav
Sunny side up 😎 #adelaide #cardioonthego #noexcuses pic.twitter.com/Wg8vWMGDZ4
— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) December 3, 2018
- After cricket, football is Yadav’s favourite sport. He is a big fan of the FC Barcelona Club.
- Yadav loves to travel and listening to music. His favourite song is The Monster by Eminem.
- Like most of us millennials, Yadav loves to Netflix and chill!
- Australian bowler, Shane Warne, is Yadav’s favourite bowler.
- Another legendary Australian, Michael Clarke, even compared Kuldeep Yadav’s Chinaman bowling to Brad Hogg’s.
- Just like his fellow teammate, Yuzvendar Chahal, Yadav claims to be very shy. He accepts that he doesn’t talk much, however, he is always up for pranks. The light and friendly atmosphere in the dressing room helps the team to perform better on the field.
Achievements
Batting and fielding averages
| Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s | Ct | St | |
| Tests | 6 | 6 | 0 | 51 | 26 | 8.50 | 161 | 31.67 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| ODIs | 44 | 18 | 10 | 100 | 19 | 12.50 | 171 | 58.47 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| T20Is | 18 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 16 | 20.00 | 20 | 100.00 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| First-class | 30 | 38 | 4 | 846 | 117 | 24.88 | 1938 | 43.65 | 1 | 6 | 107 | 6 | 13 | 0 |
| List A | 54 | 25 | 12 | 149 | 25 | 11.46 | 255 | 58.43 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| T20s | 81 | 15 | 9 | 94 | 17* | 15.66 | 103 | 91.26 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
Bowling averages
| Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10 | |
| Tests | 6 | 10 | 989 | 579 | 24 | 5/57 | 6/119 | 24.12 | 3.51 | 41.2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| ODIs | 44 | 42 | 2298 | 1892 | 87 | 6/25 | 6/25 | 21.74 | 4.93 | 26.4 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| T20Is | 18 | 18 | 405 | 454 | 35 | 5/24 | 5/24 | 12.97 | 6.72 | 11.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| First-class | 30 | 49 | 5774 | 3512 | 117 | 6/79 | 9/120 | 30.01 | 3.64 | 49.3 | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| List A | 54 | 52 | 2808 | 2270 | 101 | 6/25 | 6/25 | 22.47 | 4.85 | 27.8 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| T20s | 81 | 80 | 1731 | 2117 | 108 | 5/17 | 5/17 | 19.60 | 7.33 | 16.0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
Source: www.espncricinfo.com
Net Worth
Kuldeep Yadav’s 2018 annual income is estimated to be around USD 2.2 million. He earned around USD 1.4 million in the year 2018 itself. As a Kolkata Knight Rider player, Yadav earns USD 0.9 million or Rs. 5.8 crores per season.
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Social Media
Absolute treat to bond with the boys over good food last night! 😊. Thank you @msdhoni & @SaakshiSRawat bhabhi for making it special 🙏 @imVkohli @RishabPant777 @yuzi_chahal pic.twitter.com/mL6lmq1O95
— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) March 7, 2019
Enroute Tauranga #travelday pic.twitter.com/8u9KTRh8zT
— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) January 24, 2019
So proud to be a part of this team 👏🏻🙌🏻
Feels special to win a test series down under 💪🏻#TeamIndia ♥️ pic.twitter.com/zMnDr8F2GL— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) January 7, 2019
Happy Birthday to the great man who spun the ball like a magician. Wish you all the happiness in the year ahead, @ShaneWarne 🎂🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/yjpyCRtCiB
— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) September 13, 2018
Undoubtedly, Kuldeep Yadav is one of the brightest stars shining on the Indian horizon. His raw talent, chinaman bowling, and temperament are crucial assets for the team. No wonder then, that he has always enjoyed the support of Indian team captain Kohli, as well as KKR captain Gambhir.
He has also made the country proud by performing well at crucial moments, and his fan following seems to be mounting with every passing day. We are excited to see Yadav take some mighty wickets!
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