"I used to underestimate batters before" - Kuldeep Yadav recalls horrific over bowled to Moeen Ali

Kuldeep Yadav has enjoyed a successful comeback to the Indian team over the past few months.

However, things were not the same for the left-arm wrist spinner prior to that. During his time with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Kuldeep was in and out of the team and that affected his confidence.

The beginning of the end of his time with the franchise was arguably during the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. In a game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kuldeep was smashed for 27 runs in an over by Moeen Ali.

On the show "Breakfast with Champions," Kuldeep Yadav accepted that the over really shattered his confidence. Here's what he had to say about Moeen Ali's blitz:

"I hadn't gone for that many runs before. He (Yuzvendra Chahal) had bowled a lot in Chinnaswamy so he was experienced. But I was shocked to see myself go for those many runs.

"I used to underestimate batters before. I thought that 'How would a left-hander (Moeen Ali) hit me? I gave around 22-24 runs and suddenly the game seemed to be over.

"I never experienced anything like that. Rohit [Sharma] Bhai and Hardik [Pandya] Bhai too had called me and made me understand that such things happen."

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Kuldeep Yadav was unsung hero in DC's IPL 2023 win over GT

Since leaving the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Kuldeep Yadav has received a new lease of life playing for the Delhi Capitals (DC). He picked up 21 wickets in 14 games in IPL 2022 and is also enjoying a good campaign in IPL 2023, with eight wickets from nine games at an excellent economy rate of 6.74.

His best performance of the campaign came in DC's match against reigning champions, the Gujarat Titans, on May 2. Kuldeep's fabulous spell helped the Capitals beat the Titans by five runs despite scoring just 130 in the first innings.

Veteran pacer Ishant Sharma deservedly got plenty of credit after holding his nerve to defend 12 runs in the final over. However, Kuldeep also played his part in the middle overs. In four overs, he conceded just 15 runs and also dismissed the dangerous David Miller for a duck.

Kuldeep Yadav will now hope to put in another good performance when DC take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Delhi on May 6.