T20 World Cup 2024 | "It's my dream to win the World Cup for India": Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav (Pic: X/@imkuldeep18)

Delhi Capitals' star spinner who is currently part of India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad engaged in a conversation where he said "It's my dream to win the World Cup for India" in Episode 2 of the DC Cafe.

The wrist spinner revealed how he emerged as Kuldeep 2.0. He said, "I never thought I'd change drastically over the last couple of years. When I joined DC in 2022, I did come in with changed skills, but I needed that confidence. I still remember when I met Ricky on the first day, he hugged me properly and said, we wanted to have you in our team. I know your skills. Don't worry about anything, and I will ensure you play all the games. So, Ponting helped me gain confidence, he used to give me ideas in training sessions. Rishabh as well, he is my brother, has always trusted me, and gave me full support."

He further added, "However, I worked a lot with Watson. I bonded strongly with him; I used to share everything, even when I wasn't playing well. I used to talk for hours with him in his room during the IPL (2022/2023). He used to ask me about everything I was uncomfortable with, and I used to open up freely to him. He has played a big role in this. I still have notes from those conversations on my phone, and I rewind those before I play matches. I share an excellent bond with him. He has played a huge role in my revival."

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2024, IND vs IRE: "Men in Blue" eye campaign's first win against Ireland

Ahead of Team India's first T20 World Cup 2024 match on Wednesday, Kuldeep Yadav said that it's his dream to win the World Cup for the country. The "Men in Blue" will clash with Ireland in their first T20 World Cup 2024 match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

"It's my dream to win the World Cup for India. This is my first T20 World Cup. I'm 29 years old and expect to play for as long as possible. Winning the World Cup is a long-term goal, and there's a bigger process behind it. If you're playing for India for a long time, you've got to win a World Cup. I think trophies do matter in the end, and you're playing to win the trophies. So winning the World Cup is my only dream", said Kuldeep.

"Beyond cricket, I'm hopeful of getting a license in football coaching. I'm not perfect, but I need to work on it a lot. Hopefully, when I leave cricket, I can invest time in it and take proper training. I've got friends who are associated with the game, and after cricket, if I want to do something, I would certainly like to contribute to football," he added.

During the conversations, Kuldeep Yadav also opened up about his bond with Team India's star spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. "My friendship with Jaddu bhai is straightforward; we talk less about cricket. However, with Ash bhai, we talk a lot about the game. He brings in a lot of new ideas about bowling. Earlier, I didn't use to try new things, but Ash bhai pushes me to try new things", stated wrist spinner Kuldeep.

(With ANI Inputs)