1.) Humble background
Son of a brick kiln owner, Kuldeep’s family shifted from their native village in Unnao to Kanpur when he was fairly young so that his dream to become a cricketer could one day be realised.
2.) Started career as a fast bowler
Kuldeep wanted to bowl fast like his idol Wasim Akram. But when he met his coach Kapil Pandey in Kanpur, he was advised to become a spinner rather than a pacer due to his physique. The first ball that he bowled was a Chinaman and the coach asked him to build upon it that became his major forte later.
3.) Idolizes Shane Warne
While he was a fan of Akram in his younger days, Kuldeep started to appreciate the art of spin bowling once he started bowling Chinaman himself. He watched a lot of Shane Warne videos in order to perfect his techniques. Although Warne is not a Chinaman, the only difference between him and Kuldeep is that the former bowls with the right arm while the latter does it with his left.
4.) Excelling at the U-19’s
He was first picked in the Indian U-19 team as a 17-year old in April 2012 but missed out on selection for the U-19 World Cup, which India eventually went on to win under the leadership of Unmukt Chand. Later, he played for India in the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup 2014, where he took a hat-trick against Scotland.
5.) IPL career
He was a member of the Mumbai Indians squad in 2012 but didn’t get a chance to play a game with them. In 2014, he scalped 6 wickets from 5 games in the Champions League T20, thereby playing a crucial role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ progress to the final. Since then, he has been a regular member of KKR squad.
6.) Dream Test debut
Kuldeep made his Test debut against Australia at Dharamsala in 2017. In the first innings of the Australian team, he returned with figures of 4/68. David Warner was his first Test scalp.
7.) Hobbies and interests
He really loves soccer and is a big fan of Football Club Barcelona. He doesn’t watch cricket much but loves watching soccer. He also enjoys playing table tennis and watching movies. Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez is his all-time favourite.
8.) ODI debut
Kuldeep made his One Day International debut for India against West Indies at the Port of Spain in June 2017. Although, the southpaw didn’t get a chance to bowl as the match was called off due to rain.
9.) Third Indian to take a hat-trick in ODIs
Kuldeep Yadav became the third Indian to take a hat-trick in ODIs after Kapil Dev and Chetan Sharma in the 2nd ODI against India vs Australia on 21st Sep 2017.