“I miss MS Dhoni’s guidance”: Kuldeep Yadav after getting snubbed for England tour

Indian left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav was not picked in the recently-announced 20-member squad of Team India for the England tour by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The Kanpur-born has been pretty unlucky as despite being travelling in the Indian bio-bubble for a long time, he didn’t get many chances in the playing XI.

In the last six months, Kuldeep has played only one Test and two ODIs. He was also demoted in BCCI’s annual contract and failed to get a game for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the recently postponed Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.

As the future of the 26-year-old looks uncertain, Kuldeep has revealed that he misses MS Dhoni’s guidance from behind the stumps. Since MSD’s retirement, a decline has been witnessed in the left-armer’s bowling in the international arena.

“Sometimes I miss that guidance because he (Mahi) has a great experience. He used to guide us behind the wicket, kept screaming! We miss his experience. Rishabh is there now; the more he plays, the more input he will give in the future. I always felt every bowler needs a partner who can respond from the other end,” Kuldeep told The Indian Express in an exclusive interview.

Kuldeep also pointed out that a spinner like him likes bowling with partners, stating he and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal haven’t played a lot together since Dhoni bid farewell to international cricket.

“When Mahibhai was there, Chahal and I were playing. Ever since Mahi bhai left, Chahal and I haven’t played together. I played only a handful of games after Mahibhai left. I must have played ten-odd games. I had even taken a hat-trick. If you look at the performance as a whole, it will look pretty decent, but my performance can sometimes look not up to the mark if one breaks it up. One has to also look at the opposition we are playing against,” he added.

After failing to book a flight to England, Kuldeep might get picked for the Sri Lanka tour as India will field their second-string team in the absence of star players. The ‘Men in Blue’ are expected to play three ODIs and as many T20Is against the Lankans in July.