The Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav praised Rahul Dravid for keeping him motivated despite his struggles at the international stage in recent months. On Sunday, July 18 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Kuldeep produced a strong performance for Team India during their first ODI against Sri Lanka.
In his allocation of 9 overs, the left-arm wrist-spinner took the wickets of openers Minod Bhanuka and Bhanuka Rajapaksha and gave up 48 runs. Dravid was mentioned by the spinner, who stated that “The Wall” had his back through a difficult time and advised him to enjoy the game.
Following India’s stunning seven-wicket victory in the opening game, Kuldeep expressed his thoughts during the post-match press conference.
“Pressure and nervousness are always there when you play. I was playing after a long time. Initially, there were a lot of conversations, Rahul sir backed and motivated me a lot. He talked about enjoying the game, believing in the process that we worked on in the last fifteen days without worrying about the result. I am very happy about the good performance,” Kuldeep was quoted as saying.
‘You should just wait for that opportunity’: Kuldeep
Kuldeep also discussed the challenges of remaining in the bio-security bubble in a moment whenever prospects are few. Kuldeep was the only player from Sunday’s starting eleven who did not play a single match in the first leg of the IPL- 2021.
“It’s difficult to stay in the bubble for a long time but when you are not playing, a lot of doubts creep into your mind. Perhaps, there are a lot of people who want to help you, talk to you, but the more you talk the more doubts are created. But it’s a team sport, sometimes you get the chance, sometimes you don’t. You should just wait for that opportunity,” he concluded.
In terms of the game, India hunted 263 with more than 80 balls to go. Prithvi Shaw was named Player of the Match after hitting 43 runs off 24 balls with 9 fours. Shikhar Dhawan made an undefeated 95-ball 86, but Prithvi Shaw was named Player of the Match after scoring 43 runs off 24 balls with 9 fours.
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