Kuldeep Yadav credits MS Dhoni's advice for his hat-trick

Eden Gardens is a very special place for Kuldeep Yadav as it was where the unorthodox UP spinner started his sojourn on the big stage of the IPL. Surrounded by Brad Hogg and Sunil Narine, Kuldeep’s education embraced an upwardly mobile graph after being snapped up by the franchise in 2014 and he benefitted not just from Hogg and Narine, but also from Shakib Al Hasan and Piyush Chawla. But the occasion was different yesterday as he came to Eden, not as a Kolkata Knight Rider but rather donning the blue of the national team. He chose the stage to showcase his potential and despite a wary start, he composed himself and took a hat-trick to gift India a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. 

After dismissing Matthew Wade and Ashton Agar on the third and fourth ball of the over, Yadav was on a hat-trick ball in the 33rd over. Chasing history so early in the career might have brought nervousness to the fore and that’s why he asked MS Dhoni for giving him some suggestions. Dhoni, though, calmed him down by telling him to go with his gut and bowl whatever he wanted to bowl.

"I asked Mahi bhai, what should I bowl. He said 'tujhejaisabhilagta hai, woh daal (bowl the way you want to)'. I was very happy that he backed me," Yadav said after the game as quoted by PTI.

Yadav also rated the match as a special one as his burst helped India fashion a 50-run win, who now lead 2-0 in the five-game series. 

"This is very special for me. That really changed the game for us. It was a proud moment. The first five overs I was struggling to bowl in a particular area, but later on, I got the spot, and the rest is history.

"In a game of cricket, everything happens. And in the last game, I got hit three sixes in an over," he said.