Kuldeep Yadav reveals MS Dhoni's massive impact on his bowling: ‘Wanted him to play more because…’

Ace India spinner Kuldeep Yadav pointed out how much important role legendary India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni played during his career. Kuldeep made his international debut under Virat Kohli's leadership but Dhoni a mastermind behind the stumps did help the left-arm spinner a lot from behind the stumps. The veteran wicketkeeper shared crucial insights of the game with the bowlers which helped them to improve and produce desired results for India.

Kuldeep revealed his performance with the ball dipped after Dhoni took the retirement from international cricket in 2020. The left-arm chinaman had tough outings for India for a short time after the former India skipper's retirement.

The premier left-arm spinner reflected on the impact Dhoni's presence had on him.

“I wanted him (Dhoni) to play more because it was very easy for us when we were bowling,” Kuldeep told The Indian Express. “After Dhoni retired, my performance with the ball wasn’t great. It happens when a person guides you and that person’s influence is not there anymore, then suddenly everything is on your shoulders. It takes time for you to react to the situation… that probably happened to me. Then slowly you understand and become self-reliant.”

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Kuldeep further asserted that Dhoni made his and Yuzvendra Chahal's jobs easy with his valuable tips from behind the stumps.

“But Chahal and I really enjoyed when Mahi bhai was keeping wickets, he used to give lots of ideas. I didn’t have to think too much when I was bowling. I just had to bowl and he would even adjust the fields. No doubt the time I had with Mahi bhai on the field and even off the field was great,” he said.

The 29-year-old has become an integral part of the Indian team across formats as he has also worked on his batting in recent times which was evident in his performances in the recently concluded Test series against England.

“The team management backed me but didn’t say I had to compulsorily do it. They told me that I have a lot of batting skills, but didn’t put any pressure on me that I had to score runs. If I can contribute to the team in crucial situations, especially in Test cricket, the game changes (if the lower order scores runs). I had the ability and Vicky Paaji (batting coach Vikram Rathour) made me bat a lot (in the nets). He also kept me relaxed because when you don’t get runs, you tend to think a lot about what you have to do, saying I needed to stay calm and not take any tension, and focus on my bowling," he added.