IND Vs SL 2017: Siddharth Kaul Ecstatic Over Maiden India Call Up
May 29, 2023 at 3:47 PM
The BCCI on Monday announced the squad for the upcoming three match ODI series against Sri Lanka next month. Virat Kohli has been rested for the limited overs series as Rohit Sharma is all set to lead the Men in Blue against a weak looking Sri Lankan side. The selectors have also given a chance to Punjab pacer Siddharth Kaul for his impressive performances in the Ranji Trophy.
In the bowling department, the only change was Siddharth Kaul replacing Shardul Thakur. Thakur missed the cut due to an injury. Siddhrath has been rewarded for his consistent bowling in the domestic circuit where he plays for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy. He has also impressed playing for the India ‘A’ side in Australia and South Africa, as he picked up 13 wickets in five List A games.
Siddharth played in the 2008 Under-19 World Cup in which Virat Kohli led the side and had names like Ravindra Jadeja, Saurabh Tiwary and Abhinav Mukund. Kaul bowled the famous final over of the tournament and helped India to a famous victory. He has worked hard all through these years playing in the domestic circuit and he never lost hope of making it to the Indian side.
Sharing his experience of when he got to know that he has earned his maiden India call-up he said:
“It was drinks break at that time and one of the umpires came up to me and said that match referee sir (Chaturvedi) had informed that I have been selected in the Indian ODI squad. I didn’t know how to react at that moment. It was the biggest piece of news in my cricketing career and I got it on field,”
“I was always hopeful that if I keep performing, I would get my share of chances. Yes, it was a great feeling to win the U-19 World Cup but all these years I knew that good performance at the domestic level would be rewarded. “I had to focus on being consistent in domestic cricket. That was my endeavour and this is a reward for that.” Talking cricket with senior pros like Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh has helped Kaul a great deal. “Yuvi paaji and Bhajju paa are inspirations for all of us in the Punjab team. They have played so much of international cricket that even a slightest input during match situations can improve you as a bowler. “Whenever they have been around, I have only gained as a player. It’s not like they would coach you but just give you subtle hints about what to do in specific situations.”
Kaul has hailed Rahul Dravid who has helped him believe in himself and also Punjab trainer Sagar Diwan who has helped improve his fitness which has eventually helped him increase his pace.
“Playing for India A or IPL is top level cricket and it always gives you that confidence that you can belong to a certain level. What helped me was my interactions with Rahul Dravid. Rahul sir would always tell me that self belief is key for any player. “At this level, it is about doing small things right on a consistent basis. That’s what I did when I was playing against New Zealand A or South Africa A.”
“I would give a lot of credit to our Punjab team trainer Sagar Diwan. He was associated with the Chandigarh Golf Club and now with the Ranji team. Training with him has increased my fitness and stamina and has also helped in increasing my pace. I am also able to move the ball both ways consistently.”
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