Published: Mar 27, 2017, 06:39 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 27, 2017, 06:39 PM (IST)
The entire nation is going gaga over its latest spin sensation, the ‘Chinaman’ bowler Kuldeep Yadav, who rocked the Australian batting by scalping 4 wickets in the first innings on his Test debut. The spectacular bowling effort shot the young spinner to instant stardom. Though he has been playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for a couple of seasons now, but it was his Test debut that has made the nation’s darling. But his captain at the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Gautam Gambhir is not too impressed with the media spotlight on the youngster. The Indian opener has said that Kuldeep should be left alone and allowed to enjoy his game.
Talking to The Quint, Gambhir said, “We should leave him [Kuldeep] alone, I think we should not be talking too much about him. He is a young boy. I think we should not be putting too much pressure of expectations on him.”
Gambhir further said that it is just the beginning and Kuldeep has a long way to go. Thus, he should be left alone for now. “Let him just enjoy his game right now. Obviously if he goes on to play for India for a long time, there will always be expectations later on, so just let him be. It is just one inning and he needs to perform consistently. He has got the talent to do that.”
Gambhir opined that the more the spotlight will be on Kuldeep, the difficult it will be for him to express himself freely. “The more you talk about him, the more you put pressure on him, the difficult it will be for him to express himself. I believe that the young players need to be left alone. Let them just be themselves. Unfortunately in India, a young boy performs and suddenly the entire discussion revolves around him. He starts listening to it and starts taking the pressure. That should not happen to the youngsters,” Gambhir said.
Gambhir last played a Test this season against England in Rajkot. He has since been out of favour. He has led Kuldeep at KKR for three seasons now, ever since the youngster joined the Kolkata-based franchise. The two of them will once again share the dressing room during the upcoming edition of the tournament, which starts April 5.
