In a shocking revelation, Kuldeep Yadav contemplated suicide at 13

New Delhi: The 22-year-old chinaman from Kanpur was impressive in his debut Test series against Australia and also became the third Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in ODIs against the Aussies in the last series.

However, it took him a lot to achieve all these. His life was not easy when he was just a teenager.

Kuldeep recently attended an event organised by Hindustan Times and revealed that there was a time in his life when he thought of quitting the game. 

At 13, he was not selected in the Uttar Pradesh’s under-15 team and even thought of committing suicide.

"I had worked hard for my selection, but when I was not picked, I mentioned suicide in frustration. It happens to everyone in the heat of the moment," Kuldeep was quoted by HT as saying.

"I was a meritorious student in school and wanted to play cricket just for fun. I never thought of making it my vocation. In fact, my father wanted me to play cricket and took me to the coach," recalled Kuldeep.

"I always wanted to become a seam bowler, but my coach forced me to become a spinner. When I bowled a few balls (Chinaman), I was asked to make it a habit. Otherwise, I didn’t know I was bowling something different," he said.

After idolising Pakistan pace great Wasim Akram initially, he made Australian spin legend Shane Warne his role model. 

"I keep watching videos of Warne. His grip on the ball, length of deliveries and use of the crease are unbeatable. I try to learn from the footage," said Kuldeep.

Expressing gratitude for the support he has received from skipper Virat Kohli and stumper MS Dhoni, Kuldeep said he never bothered about the opposition’s strengths or weakness but kept focus on his abilities.