In this cricket-obsessed country, almost every child dreams of becoming a cricketer and donning the famous Indian jersey but only a handful of those millions of aspirants manage to achieve their ultimate dreams. It is unsurprising then that most of the journeys and dreams end in heartbreaks.
One such journey was very much on the verge of ending in a disaster, but luckily it was avoided, and India got a star spinner in the form of Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm spinner from Uttar Pradesh has become one of the most sought-after in international cricket at the moment, but it would have all been very different had he not taken a failure in his stride in his younger days.
The chinaman spinner has sensationally revealed that he wanted to commit suicide when he was 13-years old and was not selected in the Uttar Pradesh’s under-15 team. He had also decided to quit the game.
“I had worked hard for my selection, but when I was not picked, I mentioned suicide in frustration. It happens to everyone in the heat of the moment,” Kuldeep was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
“I was a meritorious student in school and wanted to play cricket just for fun. I never thought of making it my vocation. In fact, my father wanted me to play cricket and took me to the coach,” he added.
Well, good sense finally prevailed as Kuldeep worked his way up through different teams to make his debut for India this year.
The 22-year old further said that he wanted to become a pace bowler but changed his plans after being persuaded by his coach.
“I always wanted to become a seam bowler, but my coach forced me to become a spinner. When I bowled a few balls (Chinaman), I was asked to make it a habit. Otherwise, I didn’t know I was bowling something different,” he recalled.
He also said that he felt the pressure while making his Test debut in the final Test against Australia in Dharamsala. However, he soon felt at ease after taking four wickets, dismissing the likes of David Warner and Glenn Maxwell which paved the way for India’s win.
“It was a pressure game. It was the series decider. I was bowling alongside Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. I felt at ease only after bagging four crucial wickets,” said the Kanpur player.
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