Back from South Africa, here's what Kuldeep Yadav said about Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni

Mumbai: 33 wickets in six ODIs against South Africa in South Africa. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal ran riot as India outplayed the hosts to win the recently concluded six-match ODI series 5-1. While the two young wrist-spinners had previously done well, playing in India, their performance in the rainbow nation exceeded all the expectations and has made them almost a certainty in India’s ICC World Cup 2019 squad.

Although the two youngsters performed brilliantly during India’s historic ODI series win in South Africa, Kuldeep made it clear that their success would not have been possible without the guidance and planning of skipper Virat Kohli and the wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni.

“What we have achieved in South Africa has a lot to do with the way Kohli bhai and Dhoni bhai guide us in the middle. While you can all hear Dhoni bhai constantly guiding us on the stump microphone, it is Kohli bhai who actually plans it all. It is a complete work of two individuals who are brilliant when it comes to first planning and then implementing the plans,” Kuldeep told CricketNext.

“Credit has been given to us (Kuldeep and Chahal) for taking India home in the limited-overs series, but we couldn’t have been half as effective had it not been for the two senior pros guiding us. You need a skipper who backs you and believes in your ability to shine on the big stage. You think we could have been so successful if Kohli bhai had not given us the freedom to attack? I don’t think so,” added Kuldeep.

The left-arm chinaman also spoke about what went through his mind as he stepped foot on the field in the first ODI of the series.

“My role is to attack and also abide by the directions given by the skipper. I don’t really give the wicket much importance. I am an attacking bowler and I believe that if I can do my job, the wickets will come. Chahal telling me in Durban that the wicket had sharp turn gave me further confidence,” said Kuldeep.

“In fact, I must admit that when I reached South Africa — during the third Test at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg — the mood in the camp was already upbeat. We had the upper-hand in the game and after coming so close in the first two games, it was for the first time that the result was also turning in our favour and that win set things up for the rest of the series,” added the youngster.

“But yes, we did need to focus all over again and try and make inroads at the start of the ODIs. Keeping the winning momentum was very important for us as a team and that is what helped us because had we not won the first two ODIs, the Proteas would have come back strongly and the series could have ended in a much different manner,” said Kuldeep.

While Kuldeep did not try to hide his disappointment over selectors’ decision not to pick him for the three-match Test series in South Africa, he also said that the team had “two master-class spinners” in the form of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

“Yes, I would be lying if I say that I didn’t feel disappointed to miss the bus, but then, that is a part of every sportsperson’s journey. You also need to realise that the team already had two master-class spinners in Ashwin bhai and Jaddu (Jadeja) bhai. So, I went to South Africa with a clear mind and looking to make the most of the opportunities that I would get. To be fair, I didn’t think that we (Chahal and him) would get the kind of purchase that we did. I enjoyed bowling on those wickets and I think the numbers speak for themselves. I only looked at expressing myself in the middle,” said Kuldeep.

The young tweaker signed off saying that the Indian team will do well in England under the leadership of Kohli.

“Kohli bhai leads by example. His aggression rubs off on all of us and that is why this team has the ‘never-say-die’ attitude. I am confident that we as a team will produce another good performance there. But before that, I am looking forward to bowling against Kohli bhai and Mahi bhai in the IPL,” concluded Kuldeep.

While Chahal is a part of Rohit Sharma-led India squad for 2018 Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka, Kuldeep has been given a rest for the three-nation T20 series.