How Kumble's advice helped Kuldeep make the perfect debut

'When I was lying on my bed at night and I started reflecting to realise how much I had to struggle to reach that point. I had tears of joy at that moment.'

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav revealed how Anil Kumble's advice helped him make the perfect start to Test cricket, in his debut match against Australia in Dharamsala in 2017.

"It was an honour! I was on the bench for three matches but kept preparing myself with Anil sir (Kumble), our then coach. He backed me a lot. He exactly knew the kind of mindset young spinners have. I remember, a day before the debut, we were having lunch together. He told me, you are playing tomorrow and I want 5 wickets from you. I was a little intimidated but I confidently said that I would definitely take," Kuldeep told Kolkata Knight Riders' official website.

Left-arm chinaman spinner Kuldeep shone with the ball as he claimed 4-68 in the first innings of the fourth Test against Australia in Dharamsala in March 2017.

"I got my cap and was feeling blank. I was quite nervous but felt comfortable the moment all team members joined in. I got my cap and was feeling blank. It is a dream for all young cricketers to play Test cricket and my dream was coming true. I was pretty emotional. I remember I was fielding at deep square leg, and I was still nervous. But then I decided to just react normally like any other Ranji game," recalled the young spinner.

Kuldeep claimed the wickets of David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Handscomb, and Pat Cummins as Australia, who were looking solid at one stage on 144-1, were bowled out for 300 in their first innings.

"When I came to bowl, Steve Smith hit a boundary off a googly in my second over and I realised the difference between international and state-level cricket. Following lunch, I just tried to be relaxed and give my best. I started strategizing my game and bowled a few slower ones to David Warner and then mixed it up with a flipper, feeling it might clean him up or trap him LBW. He played the cut straight to the slip."

"That was my first wicket. It was one of the happiest moments of my life and I got really emotional. My confidence rose and I got Handscomb and Maxwell too. Once the day got over, I spoke to Sachin sir (Tendulkar) and he told me a lot of things about how to approach the game. I was flooded with messages and calls. When I was lying on my bed at night and I started reflecting to realise how much I had to struggle to reach that point. I had tears of joy at that moment," he added.

Kuldeep also recalled the hat-trick he claimed against Australia in an ODI in Kolkata in September 2017, picking up the wickets of Matthew Wade, Ashton Agar and Pat Cummins off successive deliveries in the 33rd over. Australia never really recovered from that blow as they were bundled out for 202 in 43.1 overs to lose by 50 runs.

"I got my first wicket of Matthew Wade and then in the next ball I plucked Ashton Agar. For the third ball, I asked Mahi bhai (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) what to bowl. When you have so many variations, you get confused. He just let me do whatever I felt was right but suggested that I kept it to the stumps. I kept a slip and gully in place. Luckily I bowled a good ball and got the edge."

"Getting a hat-trick at Eden Garden, that too in the first year of international cricket, is a big thing and this was one of the biggest moments of my life. For the second hat-trick, you might not believe me, but I had told my mom that day that I would take a hat-trick. A lot of times, what I said turned out true. I guess it was just a random moment when we were batting against the Windies that I just realised I would take a hat-trick. Things panned out just the way I had planned," said the spinner.