1.2080401-640813135
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (left) had been like a mentor to me, says India's chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav. Image Credit: PTI

New Delhi: India spinner Kuldeep Yadav heaped praise on Mahendra Singh Dhoni and stated he has helped him become a better bowler at the international level.

Kuldeep went on to the extent of saying that because of Dhoni, he didn’t miss his childhood coach too much because they believe in similar philosophy as far as spin bowling is concerned.

“I can’t pick up just one as there are many (when asked about Dhoni’s instructions from behind the stumps)”, Kuldeep said in a video uploaded on sports app.

“He always used to tell me ‘ball ko spin karana hai (you have to spin the ball) rather than bowling flat’. This used to remind me of my coach.

“This is the best thing that I heard from Dhoni and because of this I never felt like I was missing my coach,” Kuldeep added.

The spinner was also asked about the player he wouldn’t want to bowl to in a Super Over and Kuldeep said: “One would be Suryakumar Yadav because he is a very good player of spin. The way he bats against me is really good. Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer are also very good players of spin.”

In normal circumstances, Kuldeep would currently be playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, however, due to Covid-19 pandemic the tournament has been postponed by the BCCI.