‘Favorite tha to usko khilaaya kyu nahi?’: Kuldeep Yadav’s childhood coach lashes out on Dinesh Karthik

Indian left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav’s childhood coach has criticised former Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik for not giving the former more opportunities in the lineup during his stint with the two-time Indian Premier League winning franchise.
“When he was with Kolkata and Karthik was the captain, he used to give him just 1-2 overs each game. Now he says that Kuldeep is his favorite Indian bowler,” Kuldeep’s coach Kapil Pandey told Sportskeeda.
He added, “Favorite tha toh usko khelaya kyu nahi? Usko khilaate? (If he was your favorite bowler then why didn’t you play him?) But that’s okay, that’s past now and I believe the future will be great for Kuldeep.”

Amazing last couple of weeks with the boys. Super happy and proud of what we have achieved as a team. Looking forward for the next one. 🙌🏻🏆#TeamIndia 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/PYx2PNQZkP
— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) December 25, 2022
Recently featuring in the first Test against Bangladesh, Kuldeep marked his comeback in India whites picking eight wickets including a fifer in the first innings. The chinaman spinner however, was dropped for the second match in India’s 2-0 series win.
“Despite being the Man of the Match, when he was dropped in the second Test, I didn’t know how to console him because I myself was in tears. But the way he told me to stay patient and keep faith that things will work out eventually, shows how matured he has become,” Pandey said.

Speaking of his return for India post a successful IPL 2022 campaign, Pandey also suggested that head coach Rahul Dravid, captain Rohit Sharma and former skipper Virat Kohli played a big role in the same.
“When he was injured and was at the NCA, Rohit Sharma had supported him and naturally, Dravid has also offered the same support. So the captain, coach and even the senior players like Virat Kohli have a huge role in backing him and helping him make a comeback.”