Siddharth Kaul: "I will break that door with such force that they'll have to say, 'Brother, you please come in'"

No player from the top-20 all-time highest wicket-takers in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), India's premier T20 domestic competition, has featured in more than 10 T20Is for India. 13 of them haven't even come close to a T20I debut, while 19 are either not part of an IPL team or are not a regular face in the playing XI.

The same goes for the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), the country's biggest domestic 50-overs competition. Although a few of the all-time highest wicket-takers have played more than 10 ODIs for India, most will go under the IPL 2024 auction hammer on December 19 at the lowest base price.

The dilemma of 'experience vs youth' is a reality only in selections for the top echelons of Indian men's cricket. For selection in the IPL, India 'A' tours or bilateral series, youth always trumps experience.

This domestic season, Punjab's Siddharth Kaul became the highest wicket-taker in the history of the SMAT and the first bowler to cross the 150-wicket mark in the VHT. In the former competition, he now has 120 wickets after 87 matches at an average of 18.25. In the latter, he has 155 at an average of 20.21 from 75 matches.

Kaul played three ODIs and three T20Is for India in 2018-19. He doesn't have an ODI wicket but in three T20Is, against Ireland, England and Australia across three series, he has one wicket each. He bowled spells of 1/4, 2/35, and 1/45 before being dropped.

The last time Kaul played a complete IPL season, he was the joint second-highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps at an average of 26.04. In the five seasons since then (three for SunRisers Hyderabad, two for Royal Challengers Bangalore), he has featured in seven, one, eight, one, and zero matches, respectively.

In any other country, Kaul would own the status of a domestic cricket legend. But in India, that title stopped existing after the times of Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali, whose names now define the trophies that Kaul continues to fight for. So he's just another of those 50-odd players who compete with new 20-year-olds every year and who only have consistency and boring stats to show for their value.

In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Kaul spoke about his motivation, his mindset in these last five years, the emotions of winning the SMAT for Punjab in 2023, the 'age factor', the fire in his heart to play for India again, and much more.

Excerpts from Siddharth Kaul's interview with Sportskeeda

You were the highest wicket-taker in VHT, and the highest wicket-taker for Punjab in SMAT — I want to ask you about your love for Punjab and Punjab Cricket and how that has developed over the years.

Siddharth Kaul: I believe there's nothing to be developed because when it's about your land of work, everything automatically becomes your duty. That is, it becomes a routine for you, it gets ingrained in your blood.

Punjab has given me so much that I can't explain it in words to you. But I will say one thing, the biggest thing is that if there was no Punjab, there would have been no Siddharth Kaul, if there was no Punjab, then there would have been no Mandeep Singh, if there was no Punjab, then there would have been no Gurkeerat Mann, if there was no Punjab, then there would have been no Yuvi paaji, no Harbhajan Singh because Punjab gave us the platform to play cricket.

We started from under-14, and all of us played there, if we hadn't got that opportunity, we hadn't played district and then we hadn't got more chances, we wouldn't have been here now.

The status we have all over India, and that a few people know us around the world, it's all due to Punjab. If Punjab hadn't found us out — the notion was always that only performers would play for Punjab — had they not been so truthful for us, we wouldn't have gone anywhere.

How was the feeling of ending Punjab’s 30-year-old trophy drought by winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year?

Siddharth Kaul: Brother, it was so outstanding that I started crying on the ground. We had been playing the game for the last so many years and we used to miss out sometimes in the semi-finals, sometimes in the finals.

That achievement, I would say that from our under-19 years to under-23 and senior level, all the people who worked hard with us and all the people who prayed for us, our parents, our well-wishers, the entire administration of Punjab Cricket Association, it is because of their blessings that we were able to win this trophy this time.

We got a little late but it was because of their blessings, their belief, and everything, that we could win this trophy. If it were not for them, if that belief in our team wasn't there, we would not have been able to achieve this feat.

From the groundsmen to all the workers, all the housekeeping people there, their belief... I mean, all the people connected with the Punjab Cricket Association, from every state and district, had a lot of faith in us. And that's why it was late but very tasteful and lovely.

Mandeep Singh said in an interview that Punjab wanted to do it for Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh — who did that come from and I know both of them have played important roles in your career as well, so it must have been emotional.

Siddharth Kaul: Yuvi Paaji and Bhajju Pa, from the time they were with us in the team, we wanted to win it for them because they have made a lot of big achievements for India and Punjab in their life but this thing for winning the trophy [for Punjab didn't happen for them].

We wanted to do it for them. I can thank God for this but whatever two, three, or four years both elder cricketers played with us - they not only helped us get more mature as players but also infused such a self-belief in all of us that even the normal player was saying, "I can play for India. I will play here, I will get selected for IPL." Their way of talking was just outstanding.

For me, I would say that both were big brothers. Bhajju pa, for me, had the biggest role because he has been a bowler, and because of what he used to tell me, I got to learn a lot of things which helped in keeping my career going. You know, my improvement and success and how my performance kept on getting better, all that was due to Bhajju pa. How he read my bowling and my mindset, I utilize those things in analyzing my performance since he left domestic cricket. So, it was a lot of fun doing that thing.

The biggest thing about Yuvi Paaji that I felt was that he as you say in Punjabi, 'tilli lagana' (Lighting a match). He knew what he needed to tell Siddharth Kaul which would improve his performance to a different level. That thing used to pump me up. That was a great specialty of Paaji that how he used to go about things.

For me, he used to do that with so much love that I wouldn't even realize it and it used to result in me getting seven wickets or six wickets on a flat track where nothing was happening. I mean, both of them had a big role. We were due to win them a trophy. Unfortunately, we were a little late but they also enjoyed it when we finally got it.

Sometimes I have heard expletives for my mistakes as well. It's not like I always did everything perfectly. But that only told us how much they loved us and wanted us to perform well.

Did you do anything different this year in terms of your bowling? For example, I felt from the videos that you looked to be even fitter and slightly quicker onto the bat…

Siddharth Kaul: Nothing like that, I just have started enjoying my game even more. Now I am enjoying it to the extent that I understand how each thing benefits me and which thing doesn't. I have started understanding my body more. They say that when you get 30, you get mature enough.

That's what's happening with me. I am getting more and more mature. I believe that there is no such thing as the 'age factor'. Recently, Novak Djokovic said a big thing that 35 is the new 25. I run with that mindset as well. If that guy can continue going strong like that, why shouldn't I do the same? I prepare myself in that manner too.

In SRH, RCB, for India, you were never the ‘most experienced’ bowler. In Punjab, you get that bit of extra responsibility — does that bring out the best in you?

Siddharth Kaul: Definitely, when you know that you are the most experienced bowler and you are the senior-most, that's a plus point because in your mind, you think that everyone is watching me, and if I perform my fellow mates who are in the team for only the last two-three or four years will also be pumped up.

[They'd think] that the senior player is doing it, let us contribute too. Obviously, there's pressure, but I believe that when you get responsibility only then do you get to know what barriers you can break. That's the point of view I follow.

So, if I had gotten a bigger run... I am not talking about the IPL, I am talking about the Indian team. If I had gotten a bigger run, I would have definitely made them feel, 'Yes, this guy has more potential'. That's because the more you play on a platform... Like, I joined SRH in 2015 and they gave me my chance in 2017. And I played continuously from 2017-2020 for them and kept performing. They believed in me that's why gave me such a big run from 2015 to releasing me in 2021. They trusted me, right? They understood what capabilities I had.

That couldn't happen in RCB. After two years, they released me. They must have had a particular thought process. I just got one opportunity there and I couldn't show much to them. But I am happy about that also.

Whatever time I spent with the Indian team, I was happy because I reached there with my hard work. The thought processes of their support staff could be different. All I know is that when I come and play for my state, I know that I have to perform outstandingly here and then only I'll get into the Indian team or the India 'A' team or get selected in the IPL.

In those breakthrough 2017-18 IPL seasons, you had an image of a death-overs specialist. This SMAT and even in the VHT you took tons of wickets with the new ball, what kind of preparation was behind that?

Siddharth Kaul: The reason was that when I was playing in 2017-18, in domestic cricket, there were Sandeep Sharma and Manpreet Gony to bowl with the new ball, so I used to get the fourth, fifth, or sixth over. The ball doesn't swing much at the time, so you try to bowl wicket-to-wicket and all those things.

Fortunately, because of those situations... when I played IPL and got those performances too, the team asked me to bowl in the same situations - the situations I was bowling in in domestic cricket.

And then I kept doing that in domestic cricket till 2021 because I was with SunRisers Hyderabad. They had told me clearly that we would give you difficult overs in the first six, the fourth, and the sixth, and then you'll definitely bowl two in the slog overs with Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar). So when a franchise tells you that, when you keep getting retired after performing, you come to know what you have to do in domestic cricket too.

Now when they released me, the situation at RCB was different, so I started bowling with the new ball again because Sandy left the team and Gony Paaji retired.

I took that responsibility with the new ball alongside Arsh (Arshdeep Singh). Every platform presents a different situation. It's not that I never bowled with the new ball in T20s so I don't know how to bowl. I knew it, definitely, so when the opportunity came I took it with both hands.

2023 was the first time in over five years that you didn’t play even one match in the IPL — how difficult was it and was that a part of motivation to bring out your best this year?

Siddharth Kaul: Definitely, when you have been performing so well in my domestic cricket... if you see, I have been the highest wicket-taker in domestic cricket for the last three-four years, in T20 and ODI also, I mean, I am always in the top ten.

Touch-wood, this season, I have gone to the top in the all-time charts in T20 as well in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. So if I am doing that, then it means I am definitely doing something right that's making me play this much cricket.

At that platform, I just used to think that I would continue to perform in my domestic cricket and the day these guys give me an opportunity to play, I'll give my 110 percent. And touch-wood, I just got one opportunity from RCB and I, as per my thinking, gave an outstanding performance.

The team also thought so but after that, due to the circumstances, like the team's wish to play some other combination, they followed that. But I always said that if I step onto the ground then I will give my 110 percent which I have always given to my state association and the Indian team as well.

If they are not giving me chances, [I thought] I will keep on improving myself every day in my life. That used to be my motto. I never used to think that, "I am performing so well, why am I not getting chances?". I have never thought about those things. I always thought I had to give my 110 percent if I was training, doing nets, my practice, or playing a match. I just made sure to do that.

How was this two-year experience in the franchise overall and were there any specific learnings?

Siddharth Kaul: No, nothing like that. The biggest lesson in the world I got was that there's nothing certain. You have to keep on building every day as a new day of life. I don't care about what I have done and not done in the past, what I'll do and not do in the future. I just believe that the present is important. I'll keep on doing that and I believe in that theory. Present should be good, rest everything will be done according to what the situation demands and what are the things required.

I didn't do anything different. I started enjoying life even more with even more fun. When I was 20-22-year-old old, I used to think about a lot of things: "Why did this sir say that?", "Why did that guy say this?" Those things used to run through my mind a lot. When you are young, you tend to think about a lot of things.

But now I mostly think that I have to play my cricket, I have to bowl, I have to bat, I have to field, rest, sleep well, and talk to my family. I will keep on doing these things and the rest will be taken care of by my God and by my parents' blessings.

I want to understand your perspective on the years before that — 2019, 2020 and 2021. You were still with the SRH but the number of matches you got was lesser than before. What was happening at that time — were there any injuries, or did the team prefer other bowlers?

Siddharth Kaul: Definitely, the team would have needed some different combination, and that is why they did it., I had no injury, I was fit to play. Sometimes you are part of that combination, sometimes you are not.

If we go further behind, 2017-18 were your best seasons and one thing that always stood out was your knuckleball. I want to understand how it started, did you ever feel you were being ‘found out’ and where is that currently?

Siddharth Kaul: I saw that thing for the first time in 2011 when Zaheer bhai was bowling. He bowled that English (Australian) opening batter, I don't remember the name (Michael Hussey). He was a lefty. I read that and started using that in domestic cricket. I didn't get the chance to show it on a big platform so nobody saw how I was using it and how I was not.

Then slowly as I got more opportunities, I used that, as you said in 2017-18. I have been preparing for it since 2012. As execution kept getting better and I gained more belief to take wickets on that, I used that in the IPL as well. Now, I have added a lot of new variations to my bowling. Hopefully, I will get the chance to show it on a big platform and you'll see all the new slower balls I have developed.

Then came the India call-up. Do you think about it nowadays? If yes, do you ever wish you were given a regular run of games when you were possibly at your best?

Siddharth Kaul: That was one of the biggest dreams of my life. I'll remember that till the time I am alive. But I don't think about could I have gotten more chances or not. Whatever chances I got, I am happy because I reached there on the backs of my hard work.

I am thankful to my parents, my God, and my well-wishers who helped me reach that height. I have no regrets. If I start regretting things, then a lot of things will come up. So I am very happy with my life and I am very thankful to God that a lot of people in the world know me and that's because of my cricket and what I've achieved in life.

Is there a fire to get that back or is it more about ‘let’s not think about that, it’ll come if it’ll have to’?

Siddharth Kaul: Till the time I am playing I'd love to play again for my country. I am not going to think about whether someone's watching me play or not. I will continue to give my best.

I am never going to stop trying. I will break that door open. I will break that door with such force that they'll have to say, "Brother, you please come in". I'd like to achieve that.

You have scored a lot of runs recently and have been hitting a few sixes too. I know you have been working on your batting for a long time. But how did it start and how have you gone about it?

Siddharth Kaul: Basically, the thought process is, 'How you can improve every day in life?'. Like, you don't need to think that, okay, I have this shortcoming, I have that shortcoming. I used to see how many boxes I could tick in everything.

It goes like, "Okay, I bowl and this is how go about it. But what if I don't have a good day with the ball? Can I contribute with the bat for the team, if required? And if they do require it, am I ready for it? Bowlers can trap me in these ways and all this can happen... have I prepared enough for that during the off-season?" If I do all these things correctly then I'd definitely play outstandingly well on the field and I just have to prepare myself for those circumstances.

My brother used to come and observe me [when I batted]. My father, who's my coach, used to come and observe where I was at as a batter, and how I could've improved. There's this guy Avinash with our team who helps us with throwdowns. He used to help me bat an hour or two daily during the off-season. All that helped my batting.

Has the IPL changed much in all these years? Especially the art of fast-bowling, what is your view on that? I mean, I was a bit intrigued by seeing a lot of experienced fast bowlers being left out of their teams.

Siddharth Kaul: I don't know about that, brother. I think the best judges for this would be those who sit in the auction and the franchisees. They can tell why it happened. But for me, the major thing is that I saw that when I was picked for the first time in 2008 after the Under-19 [World Cup] when a batsman used to come, they used to check [how many] 30-plus [scores a batter had] and now they only see 50s and 100s so you can imagine how big a change it has been!

Fast bowlers used to depend a lot on swing and bowling fast, but now they have started to look for the slower ones. Spinners, on the other hand, are looking to bowl quicker with variations. And now you also hear how it's very important to be a mystery bowler. These are the changes I have seen.`

Are you looking forward to the auction? Or is there a ‘whatever happens, we'll see’ vibe?

Siddharth Kaul: When you have an exam, you look forward to it. I have filled out the exam form so I am looking forward to it! But what God has written, is written already. My parents' blessings and the almighty's blessings have got me so much in life so definitely, this year it will be something good as well.

I didn’t ask about being released from RCB earlier because I wanted to save the question here. Throughout your life, whether it has been injuries, someone else getting chances, or COVID, there have been a lot of setbacks — what has this overall journey taught you and how have you always managed to bounce back stronger?

Siddharth Kaul: Keep moving in life and use the stones as stepping stones and you'll reach your destiny. That's what I believe in.

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