Siddharth Kaul’s consistent performances in domestic circuit have earned him a maiden Indian team call-up on Monday. Kaul was also the part of 2008 Indian under-19 team (led by Virat Kohli) which won the World Cup, has been picked for the ODI squad against Sri Lanka which begins from December 10.
Recently, in a Ranji Trophy game, while playing for Punjab, Kaul picked up a five-wicket haul and had also bowled well for the India A side which took on New Zealand last month. During an interaction with PTI, he expressed his feeling when he came to know about his selection, he said, “It was drinks break at that time and one of the umpires came up to me and said that match referee sir (Chaturvedi) had informed that I have been selected to the Indian ODI squad. I didn’t know how to react at that moment. It was the biggest piece of news in my cricketing career and I got it on the field.”
The 27-year-old got some limelight when he bowled the famous final over during that 2008 U-19 World Cup final against South Africa in Kuala Lumpur where Virat was leading the squad.
Despite the fact that since that World Cup final Kohli and Jadeja who were also the part the team has gained new height, Kaul never lost hope and kept on performing for Punjab, North Zone, India A and Sunrisers Hyderabad consistently. He has 175 first-class wickets from 50 games and 99 List A scalps from 52 matches.
Talking about getting a chance after, this long, Siddharth said, “I was always hopeful that if I keep performing, I would get my share of chances. Yes, it was a great feeling to win the U-19 World Cup but all these years I knew that good performance at the domestic level would be rewarded. I had to focus on being consistent in domestic cricket. That was my endeavor and this is a reward for that.”
Talking about the support from the senior pros like Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh, Kaul said, “Yuvi paaji and Bhajju paa are inspirations for all of us in the Punjab team. They have played so much of international cricket that even the slightest input during match situations can improve you as a bowler. Whenever they have been around, I have only gained as a player. It’s not like they would coach you but just give you subtle hints about what to do in specific situations.”
Earlier, Siddharth was a 120 kmph bowler but later on, he managed to increase it to 135+, describing the same, he said, “I would give a lot of credit to our Punjab team trainer Sagar Diwan. He was associated with the Chandigarh Golf Club and now with the Ranji team. Training with him has increased my fitness and stamina and has also helped in increasing my pace. I am also able to move the ball both ways consistently.”
His coach and his father Dr. Tej Kaul was a trainer in the Indian team in the late 80s and early 90s. A few years ago, a picture of young Siddharth sitting with a young Sachin Tendulkar during an Indian team’s practice session in the early 90s became famous.
Kaul’s elder brother Uday has also been a former India U-19 player, who had toured with India U-19s to England in 2006 – a team that had both Kohli and Ishant Sharma.
Siddharth concluded by talking about his cricketing blood, he said, “My father Dr Tej Kaul has always been my coach. Even today any technical difficulty I have with my bowling, I consult him. Also it helps that my elder brother Uday has been an established first-class cricketer and a wicketkeeper. When your brother is a wicketkeeper, you get first-hand input about how the ball is releasing out of your hand.”
