The chinaman bowler who almost became a pacer

Just like he always does before leaving for a game, Kuldeep Yadav called his coach Kapil Pandey on Saturday afternoon before Kolkata Knight Riders departed to Bangalore for the Champions League Twenty20 final. Besides just seeking the coach's advice and blessings, Kuldeep asked Pandey to "distribute sweets to all the players at the academy" on his behalf and organise a lavish party once he returns home.

"That's the way he is. Down to earth, well-mannered and caring," Pandey said of his favourite protégé, who earned a maiden call-up to the national side after being named in India's squad for the first three ODIs against West Indies. "He was obviously excited but at the same time was focused on tonight's big match."

Kuldeep, who is an exponent of a rare art - chinaman bowling, was the star of India's campaign at the Under-19 World Cup in the UAE earlier this year, where he also became the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in the junior World Cup. Still, barring eight Twenty20 games - four each for Uttar Pradesh and Kolkata Knight Riders - Kuldeep does not have any experience of playing senior competitive cricket at a higher level.

Though he was a part of Uttar Pradesh's squad for the zonal one-day competition last season, he could not get a game. Pandey, the coach who transformed Kuldeep into a spin bowler from a wannabe pacer, admitted that the India call-up came much sooner than he expected.

"I was always confident that Kuldeep had the potential to be a world-class bowler and had no hesitation in him playing for India soon, but this has come a little earlier than expected," Pandey said. "I was thinking that once Kuldeep would prove himself in the Ranji Trophy and continues to trouble top batsmen, he would be selected. I am glad that the selectors are convinced he is ready to take the next step."

Pandey said as a matter of fact that it was he who asked Kuldeep at a tender age to start bowling spin, but he does not brag about converting him into a chinaman.

"A few days after his father enrolled him into my coaching centre, I noticed that he was too slow to be a successful pacer, so I asked him to try spin," Pandey said. "He was unhappy, wept for a few days but then realized he had this uncanny ability to bowl wrist spin with left hand. That was natural. But he was so consistent that I decided to give more attention towards him."

Pandey then studied the actions of various great spinners across different eras, but was particularly fascinated with Shane Warne's legbreaks.

"I noticed Kuldeep had the vital ingredient to be a quality bowler, which was to keep things simple and tight. Then we started working on the variations by watching Shane Warne's videos. And he is such a fast learner that it's remarkable he has added so many deliveries to his armoury at such a young age."

Son of an entrepreneur, Ram Singh, who owns a brick kiln, Kuldeep used to live with his family in Unnao, about 20 kilometres away from Kanpur. However, once he son started showing promise in street cricket, they decided to move to Kanpur, the home of Uttar Pradesh cricket.

Pandey stressed that had it not been for his father's encouragement, Kuldeep would have never been able to make a mark on the field. With cricket taking centre stage, Kuldeep's education has unsurprisingly taken a backseat, as he is yet to appear for his higher secondary exams. In 2012, Kuldeep was signed by Mumbai Indians in the IPL and got the first taste of top-quality cricket. Till then, he was only playing age-group cricket for Uttar Pradesh. Though his ability impressed everyone in the Mumbai dressing room, the coaching staff felt he was too slow to deceive senior batsmen and advised him to work on his fitness.

Pandey said the IPL experience made Kuldeep richer and he started putting in extra yards in the gym. Then came the successful stint with the Under-19 team, which gave Kuldeep the confidence that he could be the best even at the highest level. He subsequently grabbed the CLT20 opportunity with both hands, which has given him the big break.

Going by his track record, Pandey has no doubts that Kuldeep will excel in international cricket whenever he gets an opportunity to prove his worth.