'Even when things weren't great, he was always there for me' - Resurgent Kuldeep Yadav recalls chat with Yuzvendra Chahal

Ace India spinner Kuldeep Yadav recently spoke about his conversation with Yuzvendra Chahal and how he has backed him during the low phase of his career. The 29-year-old has made a remarkable comeback in the T20I format, claiming a five-wicket haul against South Africa in the third and final game on December 14. Notably, India registered a comfortable 106-run and levelled the series 1-1 against the Aiden Markram-led side.

In a recent video shared by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), India's stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Kuldeep were seen engaging in a conversation. During the chat, Suryakumar asked the 29-year-old whether having a chatter with spinner Yuzvendra Chahal helped him to claim a fifer. 

"Chahal bhai had a long flight so we didn't speak much. Just met him last evening where he told me not to change too much about bowling. Even when things weren't great 2-3 years ago, he was always there for me. Hopefully, we will try to do well if we play together in ODIs," Kuldeep replied.

He further spoke about what was his plan and how he had claimed the five-wicket haul.

"Wasn't thinking much. The idea was to bowl to a particular length and then I observed that the pitch is slow and the quicker ones were gripping a bit. So I was just mixing my flighted deliveries with quicker ones. I did get a few lucky wickets as the ball was keeping low. Once I got three wickets, I thought let's go for picking five wicket," the veteran added.

Suryakumar Yadav opens up on his ton in third T20I versus South Africa

Kuldeep Yadav then asked Suryakumar Yadav about his feelings after his record-equalling knock during the third T20I against South Africa. The 33-year-old batter scored a match-winning ton and thereby equalled Rohit Sharma's record for the most hundreds in T20Is. The 360-degree batter achieved the feat in just 57 innings.

"Whenever I walk out to bat, I don't think about the amount of runs I have to score. I just want to go out there and enjoy my batting. I like to sprint out to the middle and get ready to face the first ball. It was good to get the Player of the Match and Player of the Series award by coming out of my comfort zone overseas. All the success reached God, God is great.

"I just tried to see what I can offer to the team in those conditions. Even during the timeout, Rahul and Vikram Bhai came and told me to bat as deep as possible, so that's what I tried. It's a good thing to get level with Rohit Bhai, just grateful for everything," said Suryakumar.