Getting a thrashing at the hands of Dhoni will help me become a better bowler: Siddharth Kaul

Sunrisers Hyderabad medium pacer Siddharth Kaul got a reality check the other day against the Rising Pune Supergiant when he bowled the final over of the match to arguably the greatest finishers of limited overs cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Pune required 15 of the final over and Dhoni finished it off with a boundary off the final ball of the match.

This was the same bowler who had helped SRH win the previous two matches with his exceptional final overs. But especially in the T20 format, fortunes changes and it was evident yet another time. Dhoni who looked awfully out of touch coming into the match remained unbeaten of 61 of 34 deliveries to help RPS clinch a nail-biting thriller.

Kaul feels that the thrashing he received at the hands of Dhoni might make him a better bowler in the future. During a conversation with Hindustan Times Kaul said, “It is very challenging to bowl at Mahi bhai when he is in blazing form. I tried different variations and changed the field placements, but he just went after the bowlers and snatched the match from us.”

After the incredible match, Kaul was in for a surprise as Dhoni walked up to him and lauded him for his effort and said he was executing the Yorkers to perfection. “Acha ball kar raha hai tu. Pace bhi bhadd gaya hai tera aur yorkers bhi ache jaa rahe hain. Aise hee sharp ball rakh.” (You have been bowling well. The pace has also increased and you are executing the Yorkers to perfection. Keep up the good work).”

Sunrisers captain David Warner has entrusted him to bowl the final over in the last 3 matches. He bowled an exceptional Yorker to Ishant Sharma against Punjab which sealed the deal for the defending Champions.

“Warner knows me since we played together for Delhi Daredevils. Yuvi paaji has seen me bowl for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy in the last three-four years. So, he has the best idea about my capabilities. In fact, he has been pushing me to go out there and bowl to my strength.

“There are far more established bowlers in the team, still they have shown faith in me by giving the last over, that too in a T20 format,” said Kaul. In his career, Kaul has scalped 163 wickets in 45 first-class matches.

“The mental toughness has helped me execute my skills, especially in the crunch situations. There have been injuries and selection disappointments which reflect in your performance. To let go of such mental blocks, I took to mental conditioning,” Kaul quipped. He was part of the U-19 World Cup winning squad under Virat Kohli which also had future superstars like Ravindra Jadeja and Manish Pandey.

Sunrisers Hyderabad faces Kings XI Punjab at Mohali tomorrow and Kaul will be hoping to replicate his performance from the other day.