Had Doubts In Mind When I Was Not Playing, Says Kuldeep Yadav

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Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, who took two top-order wickets for 48 runs in the first ODI against Sri Lanka on Sunday, has said that life in a bio-bubble without opportunities to play is tough and creates self-doubts.

The 26-year-old has played very little cricket over the last 16 months -- just one Test, three ODIs and no T20 International in the last 16 months.

"It is difficult in bio-bubble. If you are not playing, you get doubts in your mind," said Yadav after the first ODI against Sri Lanka which India won by seven wickets.

"There are many people, who want to talk to you and help you but if you talk to too many people, you create doubt within yourself. This is a team sport. Some people get chances, some don't. We should wait for our own chances," he added during the virtual media interaction.

Both Yadav and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal were playing after a long time. They took two wickets each on a pitch that helped the spinners a bit.

"I was varying my pace, because in the first innings, the pitch was slow, dry and there was some help. I was trying to vary pace. I was sometimes giving flight and sometimes increasing pace. I was not giving enough time to batsmen to allow them to settle. That was my plan. I was very happy that the team performed well. The way we batted. I was very happy with it," added Yadav.

The Uttar Pradesh bowler, who also plays for Kolkata Knight Riders, said he was happy to play with Yuzvendra Chahal again. The two have helped India win multiple series, including the first-ever ODI series win in South Africa in 2018.

"I was very happy that we played together after a long time. Maybe, we are comfortable. That could be one of the reasons. We back each other. Whenever we need each other on field, I guide him and he guides me. We have great bonding. We are comfortable with each other whenever we bowl. It shows on the ground. The way we performed. It was great for the team," he said.