Kuldeep Yadav's coach Kapil Pandey lashed out at former Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik after the veteran wicketkeeper-batter called the left-arm wrist spinner his 'favourite' bowler. Kuldeep's coach didn't mince his words while lambasting Karthik for sidelining Kuldeep during his with the KKR franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
"When he was with Kolkata and Karthik was the captain, he used to give him just 1-2 overs each game. Now he says that Kuldeep is his favorite Indian bowler," Kuldeep's coach told Sportskeeda.
"Favorite tha toh usko khelaya kyu nahi? Usko khilaate? (If he was your favorite bowler then why didn't you play him?) But that’s okay, that’s past now and I believe the future will be great for Kuldeep," he added.
Once touted as a prodigious spinner, Chinaman Kuldeep enjoyed a stellar start to his international career. Kuldeep's partnership with Yuzvendra Chahal was instrumental in Team India's success between 2017 and 2019. A slight dip in form completely changed the entire narrative around Kuldeep as he was dropped from the Indian setup while the left-arm wrist spinner also struggled to earn game time in the IPL before the 2022 season. Kuldeep's career suddenly fell off track as he played just 13 matches for Kolkata in three IPL seasons.
In IPL 2022, the 28-year-old played all the matches for Delhi Capitals and ended the season as the franchise's leading wicket-taker with a tally of 21 scalps. After his brilliant display in the cash-rich tournament, Kuldeep was recalled to the Indian team but he hasn't been selected in the playing XI consistently.
Kuldeep was adjudged the Man of the Match after India's victory against Bangladesh in the first Test match in December 2022. In the very next game, the wrist spinner was axed from the playing XI, a decision that drew crisp criticism from fans and pundits.
Kuldeep has been named in India's ODI squad for the Sri Lanka series and it will be interesting to see whether the 28-year-old gets a chance in the playing XI.
