Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Siddarth Kaul
Sunrisers Hyderabad's Siddarth Kaul may have had a shaky journey with the national side, but the pacer is hoping to be a part of the Indian contingent for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka.
While India's primary side will travel to the UK for the WTC final and a five-Test series against England, a 'B' team will proceed to Sri Lanka in July. In the recently-suspended IPL edition, Kaul picked up three wickets in as many games, albeit his side slumped to the eighth position on the points table.
"Obviously, I'll be happy to get into India's squad for the Sri Lanka tour. Irrespective of the format, the goal is to always represent India. Any player dreams of playing for the country for a longer period of time," said Kaul in an exclusive interaction with India TV.
The Punjab pacer, who was also a part of the Virat Kohli-led U-19 team that won the World Cup in 2008, aims to give his 100 percent in the India jersey. Having played three ODIs and as many T20Is for India, the 31-year-old hopes to better his record.
"I never think much about the past. I had given my 100 percent at that time and will continue giving my best in the future too. Every individual thrives to play for India and his state team, and eventually cement his place in the side."
Siddarth Kaul also picked Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni as his two all-time favourite captains and pointed differences between the two talismanic figures of Indian cricket.
"Ganguly sir changed the thinking of Indian cricket. Our cricket went through a drastic change during Ganguly's era. His fearless thinking and fighting ability made him stand apart from the rest. He wasn't intimidated by any opponent and his goal was to steer India to the top in world cricket," said Kaul.
"Dhoni, on the other hand, is cool-headed and witty. He is like an elder brother to me. Whenever I have a chat with him, his replies are always 'out of the box'. His words hit straight in the heart and make you realise things instantly. I had a chat with him in recent IPL and his advice always helps me a lot," he further said.
With the WTC final against New Zealand being just less than a month away, Kaul had his say on Rohit Sharma's batting abilities and Indian players shifting their focus to the traditional format.
"Rohit is a lion. I don't think he needs to prove anything. A single match or a tournament cannot decide a great player's fate. I'm sure Rohit will deliver in England. Playing in the IPL 2021 will be a plus point for all Indian players who are going to play in the WTC final. They've been in rhythm and the only thing to adjust will be a change in the format," he said.
