JOIN USKuldeep Yadav feels the wicket of Yusuf Pathan proved to be the turning point in the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Kolkata Knight Riders faltered in the chase of 163 runs and were eliminated out of IPL on Wednesday.
“According to me, the turning point was when Yusuf's wicket fell. We kept losing wickets regularly which wasn't a good sign for us,” said Yadav, who picked 3/35.
“I think 160 was a good target and was chaseable. The nature of the wicket assisted batting. We should've chased it.”
Kuldeep was on a hat-trick at one point after getting the wickets of Moises Henriques and David Warner. The youngster was happy to have got two quality batsmen on successive balls. He, however, came in for some punishment from Yuvraj Singh.
“I performed well and that was what the team needed. The team needed wickets at the start and in the middle, so it made me happy.
“Yuvraj is a legend. He is a great player. Even now, he is in form and is batting really well. He used his feet well. He stepped out and read the ball well.
“It is a problem for youngsters to bowl to star players. It's a bit challenging, but you have your plans. I didn't concede as many runs as I did in my first match. I had a bit of a problem, but the wicket was good for batting.”
Yadav cherished the wicket of Warner the most.
“He was the set batsman and was playing well. It was crucial for us to get a wicket then.”
The chinaman bowler has been impressive in the last couple of games and said the seniors in the team helped him.
“They definitely help me a lot. They have so much experience... Brad Hogg, Sunil Narine, Piyush bhai and Shakib bhai. They keep telling me where to bowl and how to bowl to which player. It's very good for me. I've been with this team for three years and have learnt a lot. I implemented that today,” he said.