Kuldeep Yadav recalls Rohit Sharma's support, reveals struggles after knee surgery

The former Indian Test captain Rohit Sharma is often praised for being that "big brother" to his teammates, and in a recent interview, Kuldeep Yadav resonated the same feeling when Rohit showed him concern after coming back from a knee injury.

 

Notably, Kuldeep had made a comeback in the Indian side post-surgery in 2021, and he was visibly suffocated and used to get tired quite often. Toiling for 8-9 overs at a stretch sounded like too much, but the captain used to track him, asking if he was getting tired or not. In an interview with Indian Express, KD said,

 

"You must have heard a lot of times in the match, Rohit bhai would keep asking me – Thak raha hai kya (Hope you are not tired)? Now, luckily, I have started putting in long spells of 8-9 overs. I have also put in 10-12 overs in Tests. It took me 3 years to get that energy to bowl a long spell."

 

Read also: Pant Teases Jadeja on T20 Retirement at WC Anniversary Bash

 

Kuldeep open up on struggles after surgery

 

Kuldeep had a great season for India in the home series against England. He took 19 wickets playing four Tests and had a decent average of 20.16.

 

Speaking about his time in the Centre of Excellence (formerly NCA), he said that the head physiotherapist helped to remold his action. Recalling doctor's word, KD stated,

 

"When a doctor tells you something, you need to take it seriously. When I had knee surgery Ashish Kaushik told me ‘KD you have bowled so much over the years that your front foot has taken too much load. Because of twisting and turning there could be a problem for you going ahead’. I didn’t give it too much thought initially but things that doctors say stay in your mind."

 

He added,

 

"Coming in sideways, it was very difficult for me to get balance. Initially there were a number of problems. To flip your old action is very difficult. It took about a month and a half to get the rhythm. I need so much energy to bowl with the altered action, I couldn’t bowl more than 4 to 5 overs. The run-up was fast and my approach was aggressive. Even 4 overs in T20 was difficult."