India vs Sri Lanka: Siddarth Kaul's selection in the ODI squad is an ode to his talent and tenacity

Maybe that’s how the world of cricket works. Amongst a bunch of cricketers, who sweat it out as a team day in and day out to achieve success, only a paltry few eventually go on to stamp their authority with conviction and ease, to be remembered in the public frame for a longer period of time. It says it does not hurt — watching your own teammates whiz past the junior side, into the national one, wherein they are touted as the next superstars to watch out for. While you, still in the oblivion, work harder each day and each time, hoping for that one chance to script glories. [caption id=“attachment_4231145” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Siddarth Kaul[/caption] Such is the tale of Siddarth Kaul. The right-arm pace bowler was an indispensable part of Virat Kohli’s under-19 World Cup-winning team in Malaysia, way back in 2008, where he picked 10 wickets at an average of 15.40. Blessed with accurate line and length, Kaul kept his nerve to defend 18 runs in the final over against South Africa in the final, as the colts celebrated a memorable triumph. But as the bowler from Punjab watched his teammates Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Manish Pandey and Saurabh Tiwary make headlines for the country, Kaul was sidelined with a freak injury which the 27-year-old finds hard to forget. “I banged my knee in the ground while fielding in Delhi in 2010. I was distraught as I had been bowling with good rhythm throughout the season. I tried making a comeback in two months as I was eager to go out and play, but that only worsened my ligament rupture and I had to miss a whole season. The next season, I suffered another injury where I strained my side and I had to miss yet another season away from the game,” Kaul says. Unlike other youngsters, who would have been dejected by the cruel trickery of fate, Kaul was upbeat; aware that injury was always a natural phenomenon if you play the gentlemen’s game. “When you play cricket, injuries are bound to happen. Everything cannot go your way, as you want them to. During that phase, I was deeply encouraged by my father Dr. Tej Kaul who has served as a physiotherapist for the national side. Yes, there were moments when I would think it was all unfair, but Yuvraj Singh’s fight against cancer really inspired me. If he could fight the deadly disease with such hope, I had no reason to give up mine.” Marking a comeback in 2012, Kaul burst in with 44 wickets in nine matches to finish as the highest wicket-taker for Punjab. “The Punjab Cricket Association really helped me get back up after my twin blows, and after my return, they bestowed on me the Best Emerging Cricketer Award from the state and I couldn’t have been happier.” His rich haul in the four-day domestic competition earned him a spot for the South Africa bound India ‘A’ team in 2013 but it has only been in the last twelve months that Kaul’s medium-pace has been the talk of the town in the domestic arena. 35 wickets in eight Ranji matches, including three five-wicket hauls, at an average of 24.62 pushed him into the limelight. “It has been a really good year for me in domestic cricket. I kept bowling my variations and that made it difficult for the batsmen to read me.” However, it was his stint with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise that well and truly established Kaul’s potential and skill. Any other bowler would have found it difficult to emerge from the shadows of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ashish Nehra, but with 16 wickets in ten games, at an average of 18.75, Kaul successfully made his own mark in the Sunrisers Hyderabad set-up. Ask him about his IPL experience, and he is unable to control his excitement. “Yes, I will say that the IPL changed my career. It was a great experience to have shared the dressing room with such established stars. Not only did the captain David Warner and the team management allow me the liberty to express myself, they were aware of my strengths and weaknesses and asked me not to worry about the result and bowl as I wanted to. I worked hard in the net sessions with Muttiah Muralitharan, and during the game, players like Bhuvi bhai (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) and Nehra bhai (Ashish Nehra) helped me cope with pressure in difficult situations.” Although he has no qualms about bowling either with the new ball or in the death overs, he loves the challenge that bowling in the death entails. “I have bowled for Punjab in the death and I have always loved the additional pressure that comes with it. Yuvi paaji (Yuvraj Singh) and Warner really showed confidence in me in the IPL and backed me even when I was hit for a four. The encouragement given to me by these really helped me.” During the entire season, Kaul turned to the knuckle ball as his primary weapon and it more often than not worked wonders. “I learnt the knuckle ball from watching Zaheer Khan on television during the 2011 World Cup. He was bowling, and I was keenly observing, rushing onto execute it after every game India played. Zak bhai (Zaheer Khan) has helped me with the technique of bowling the knuckle-ball each time I have interacted with him and I am glad it was a lethal weapon in the IPL.” The highly successful IPL earned him a berth in the India ‘A’ squad to South Africa, where Kaul was the second highest wicket-taker in the tri-series, that also Afghanistan ‘A’ besides the hosts. Being the bowling spearhead brought with it its own battles, but under the guidance of Rahul Dravid, Kaul emerged a more confident player. “The role that Rahul Sir has played is tough to state. He is a legend and it was a great feeling to see him in such proximity. He really liked the ball in the series and appreciated how I swung the ball both ways through the competition. Some days, the pitches were flat and on others they had something for the bowlers. Rahul Sir encouraged me and kept saying that my bowling was similar to Bhuvi’s and if he was in the Indian team, I sure could cement my place as well.” Now as Dravid’s words have come true, Kaul is unable to resist his excitement. “I do not want to put additional pressure on myself. I will just look forward to express myself and gain delightful insights from Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvi bhai, which will help me improve immensely.” Even when he received the biggest call of his career, Kaul refused to get unfazed, aware that a single delivery is all it takes to make or break one’s career. His calm mindset can be owed to the mental conditioning classes that he has been taking from Amit Bhattacharjee, who worked with Abhinav Bindra during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. As Kaul practices the Buddhist breathing techniques that aid calmness and tranquility, his silent but convincing belief in the self is reflected profusely, and one hopes the young player, who has the potential to make it big in international circuit, fulfills his potential.