Kuldeep Yadav Thought Of Committing Suicide After Being Rejected From UP U-15 Team

Rising cricket star Kuldeep Yadav, who is gradually becoming a household name in the nation, certainly had a sensational start in the world of cricket but the journey to fame was not all hunky-dory.

The 22-year-old cricketer has recently opened up about the pain and trauma he underwent when he was rejected from the Uttar Pradesh's under-15 team. Yadav had also decided to quit the game then.

Speaking at the Hindustan Shikhar Samagam, Yadav said that "I had worked hard for my selection, but when I was not picked, I mentioned suicide in frustration. It happens to everyone in the heat of the moment," reported Hindustan Times.

Yadav had made his international debut in the final Test against Australia at Dharamsala earlier this year. Since then he has made his debut for India across all three formats and has been a consistent part of India's ODI side.

Yadav also told the paper that he never planned to pursue a cricketing career, which was more of a vocation for him. "I was a meritorious student in school and wanted to play cricket just for fun," he said adding that it was his father who saw the cricketer in him.

Playfully called the 'Kanpuriya launda' (Kanpur guy), Yadav had played a consistent part for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, also took part in the U-19 World Cup for India before making his Test debut against Australia.

Known for his reverse-spin style bowling, he admits that it's not what he wanted to become in the first place. "I always wanted to become a seam bowler, but my coach forced me to become a spinner," he told the paper.

Warne recently compared Kuldeep to Pakistan's established Test spinner Yasir Shah, saying the Indian can become "the best leg-spinner" if he remains patient.

Kuldeep has formed a partnership with leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and they are now India's preferred option over Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in limited-overs cricket.