Knew if given confidence, Kuldeep Yadav could be one of the finds of IPL: Ricky Ponting

By: Sports DeskUpdated: April 12, 2022 10:49:34 am

Ricky Ponting, Delhi Capitals’ coach, has said that he had noted that Kuldeep Yadav hadn’t played for two years with KKR, and knew that if Yadav was given confidence, he could be one of the “finds of the tournament”.

“We are unlocking little handbrakes that might be holding players back. Even Kuldeep Yadav. For someone like him to be at KKR for couple of years and not playing – I understand they have some good spinners – one of the reasons I identified him at the auction was for that reason. I thought if we could bring him into our environment and really give him lots of confidence, I thought he could be one of the finds of the tournament,” he said in The Delhi Capitals podcast. “He is bowling beautifully and growing in this environment.

Also Read |Explained: Chinaman, the rare art of left-arm wrist spin

Ponting talked about the importance of being patient and understanding with spinners like Yadav. “With spinners in T20 cricket there will be ups and downs. Regardless of his performances, he will be treated the same by us and the team-mates. That’s the family environment here. It doesn’t matter what the results are,” Ponting said.

Ponting spoke about observing Yadav for a few years now and waiting for the chance to get him into the team.

“The thing with him he has been out for 3-4 years, hardly played any cricket at all. With the Indian team, he has been on the outer and with KKR, with [Varun] Chakravarthy and Narine, and even Shakib [Al Hasan] it has been hard for him to get a game.”

“I have watched him for number of years and have talked about him leading up to other actions for number of years as well but it wasn’t till this year we could get our hands on him. It’s great to hear that he feels confident and that’s our job.”

On the #DCPodcast, @RickyPonting shed light on why he wanted to get @imkuldeep18 into the DC Family from the #IPL2022 Mega Auction 🗣️

The Spin Wizard is repaying Punter's faith and HOW 💙❤️#YehHaiNayiDilli | #IPL2022 | #DCSpecials | @TajMahalMumbai | #OctaRoarsForDCpic.twitter.com/rpbPxAVM9j

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 11, 2022

It’s a sentiment that Rishabh Pant, the DC captain, concurs with.

“Kuldeep has been working for one year but hasn’t been getting enough chances. We are trying to back him and he is doing well,” Pant told after the last game.

Advertisement

On Monday’s game against his old team KKR, Yadav grabbed four wickets, including a sensational catch. Of the wickets, he rated the dismissal of Shreyas Iyer his favourite.

Top Sports News NowT20 World Cup: How extreme pace and hard lengths have made a comeback in cricket's shortest formatFive teams in Women's IPL with 22 matches to be played: BCCIAfter players signed away access to earlier psychologist, U-17 women's team now left unsupportedClick here for more

Iyer had charged out to hit him for a six over long-on and tried to repeat the shot again next ball. Yadav didn’t flinch or push it through flat and quick, instead slipped in a googly, slower, and pulled back the length. Iyer was beaten in the flight, by the turn, and was left stranded.

Subscriber Only StoriesView All

PremiumUPSC Key-October 13, 2022: Why you should read ‘Demonetisation in 2016’ o...

PremiumChina probes its neighbours’ defenses as regional tensions rise

PremiumHow at this World T20 no team will be fully prepared, not even hosts Aust...

PremiumDelhi Confidential: Why Piyush Goyal took a complaint about shaving cream...Buy at just Rs 108 per month now

“Shreyas was batting well and hitting it well, so that was a big wicket. Enjoyed Shreyas’ wicket more because it was my first and was the main wicket from the team’s point of view since he was batting well. “I haven’t tried too much and I am focusing,” Yadav said at the end of the game. “I am enjoying the environment here and have a good backing of the side. Rishabh guides me well from behind the stumps too.”

First published on: 12-04-2022 at 10:48:24 am Next Story

First-year students of Jamia boycott online classes demanding complete re-opening of campus