Kolkata Knight Riders' Kuldeep Yadav opened up on his struggles in the IPL 2019 season, insisting that he prepared a lot for the 2020 edition.
With cricket coming to a halt, many players are significantly active on their social media profiles, talking about their life beyond cricket and revising their career in the sport so far. Many cricketers are interacting with fans, and among themselves on different social media platforms.
Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav also talked to his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders in one such session, where he recalled his struggles in the 2019 edition of the tournament.
He said he was "lacking in the basics" last season owing to playing one too many games, leading to an IPL that could have been better than how it turned out.
He insisted he didn't plan enough last time and having learned his lesson, the chinaman bowler was "100 percent sure of success" in IPL 2020 whose fate hangs in balance because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I was fully prepared for this IPL 2020 and I had planned a lot. I was 100 percent sure that this IPL would be a success," Kuldeep was quoted as saying in Kolkata Knight Riders website.
Asked about last season, Kuldeep spoke about why he struggled to get going.
"When I came into IPL, I didn't give myself enough time to train. The biggest learning from 2019 was that I did not plan for the season.
"There was a lot of cricket in 2019, especially international cricket. I joined the team just three days before the IPL started. So the planning wasn't good.
The involvement wasn't good either. And that is very important," he said.
"I don't think the last IPL was all that bad for me. I bowled very well. But a leg-spinner's success is based on the number of wickets he picks. I didn't manage to pick many wickets, but my economy was good."
The lack of wickets dented his confidence, the spinner said.
"When you don't pick wickets your confidence drops a bit. Then there was a game where I went for a lot of runs. So my confidence level dropped," Kuldeep admitted.
"I was lacking in the basics. Playing a lot of cricket affects your basics.
"If you are in regular touch with your coach then your basics won't be affected."
