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Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain and current Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) designated batter Dinesh Karthik recalled that he was tough with left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav. In 2018, Karthik was roped in by KKR in the mega auction as captain. Under his captaincy, Kuldeep had a good season taking 17 wickets from 16 games. However, his form saw a dip in the next couple of seasons. Karthik did not reveal the exact information but admitted that leading a franchise is a tough job and a captain may not be able to maintain a friendly relationship with everyone.
"Leading a franchise is altogether a different job. There are many other cultures, and you will find it challenging to deal with other individuals. You can be very honest with them. As a leader, you will lose out on certain friendships," Karthik said in a conversation with Rajasthan Royals (RR) Ravichandran Ashwin.
"During my time as KKR captain, Kuldeep (Yadav) was not doing as well as he is right now. There were tough conversations with him, and I don't think he would have appreciated me at that stage. I had to be tough with him," the wicketkeeper-batter added.
Karthik hopes Kuldeep understands
During 2019 season, Kuldeep even cried on field after taking a beating from Moeen Ali who played for RCB then. He took just four wickets from nine outings and his average was 71.50. In the next season, he got just five games and managed to pick up one wicket. In 2021, he missed the entire season due to a knee injury. Karthik hopes that Kuldeep understands why he was tough on him. He also regrets being part of a bad phase of Kuldeep’s life.
"It was a hard time for Kuldeep. I think those tough times have made him a better bowler today. My bad luck is that I had to be a part of that bad phase in his life. I hope he understands what I did. I do not want him to appreciate it and be ok with it. You have to make decisions for the team and there was nothing personal," the 38-year-old further added.
Kuldeep's spectacular comeback
Kuldeep made an emphatic comeback after the injury. He bagged 21 wickets in the IPL 2022 for Delhi Capitals (DC). He has been phenomenal on the international stage and likely to get selected for T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies. However, Kuldeep has missed a few games this season due to a groin niggle and has been advised rest as a precautionary move.
Meanwhile, Karthik has been in decent for of late. He contributed with a cameo in ony win registered by RCB in the ongoing season so far.
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