India spinner Kuldeep Yadav said that former captain Gautam Gambhir and pace legend Wasim Akram had a “big influence” on him during his early years at Kolkata Knight Riders.
Yadav said that Gambhir, who led KKR to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, gave him confidence by assuring him of a place in the team.
“Gauti bhai had a huge influence on me from the start of my stint at KKR,” Yadav was quoted as saying by the franchise’s website. “He spoke to me a lot. Not only during the time he was at KKR, but even after that, over these last two years.”
Yadav added: “He [Gambhir] always kept me motivated. When you get that kind of confidence from your captain, it becomes a huge plus point for any player. It helps you remain confident, and that translates into good performances.”
The 25-year-old said former Pakistan captain Akram helped him adjust to the mental aspect of the game.
“Wasim sir used to like me a lot too,” Yadav said. “He didn’t speak much about bowling, but he prepared me a lot in terms of mentally taking on the game. He prepared me to take on different situations in different ways, and taught me how to react when batsmen put you under pressure.”
“When he was at KKR, I used to sit with him and pick his brain a lot. I used to sit next to him in the dugout during matches and ask questions about real-time situations.”
Yadav revealed that he used to ask Akram about match situations and what the left-armer would have done.
“He would test me by asking me what my approach would have been. So apart from Gauti bhai, he was someone who had a big influence on me during those early years. He also has a very good sense of humour, so it was great having him around,” said Yadav.
Ready for IPL
Yadav said he was “lacking in the basics” last season owing to playing one too many games, leading to an IPL that could have been better than how it turned out. The wrist-spinner said he was sure of succeeding in the 13th edition, which remains indefinitely suspended.
“I was fully prepared for this IPL 2020 and I had planned a lot. I was 100 percent sure that this IPL would be a success,” Yadav said.
Asked about last season, he spoke about why he struggled to get going.
“When I came into IPL, I didn’t give myself enough time to train. The biggest learning from 2019 was that I did not plan for the season.
“There was a lot of cricket in 2019, especially international cricket. I joined the team just three days before the IPL started. So the planning wasn’t good. The involvement wasn’t good either. And that is very important,” he said.
“I don’t think the last IPL was all that bad for me. I bowled very well. But a leg-spinner’s success is based on the number of wickets he picks. I didn’t manage to pick many wickets, but my economy was good.”
The lack of wickets dented his confidence, the spinner said.
“When you don’t pick wickets your confidence drops a bit. Then there was a game where I went for a lot of runs. So my confidence level dropped,” Yadav said.
“I was lacking in the basics. Playing a lot of cricket affects your basics. If you are in regular touch with your coach then your basics won’t be affected,” he added.