At drinks break, Siddharth Kaul gets biggest career newsbreak

The biggest newsbreak of Siddharth Kauls cricketing career came during a drinks break The 27yearold Punjab medium pacer picked for next months ODI series against Sri Lanka was bowling against Services in a Ranji Trophy game when match referee Sunil Chaturvedi sent in the message of his selection in the national squad through umpires Vineet Kulkarni and K Srinath 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 in the Indian ODI squad I didnt 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 Kaul who took five wickets against Services in the Ranji match told PTI during an interactionSiddharth Kaul PicAFPKaul came into spotlight when he bowled the famous last over during that 2008 U19 World Cup final against South Africa in Kuala Lumpur where Virat Kohli was leading the side India were defending 18 runs in the final over and Kaul gave just six to seal it in Indias favour Kohli has since gone on to become one of Indias greatestbatsmen Ravindra Jadeja has been an established name from that squad while the likes of Saurabh Tiwary and Abhinav Mukund have made sporadic national team appearancesKaul could not make it as big but did not lose hope plying his trade for Punjab North Zone India A and Sunrisers Hyderabad consistently He has 175 firstclass wickets from 50 games and 99 List A scalps from 52 matches I was always hopeful that if I kept performing I would get my share of chances Yes it was a great feeling to win the U19 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 endeavour and this is a reward for that Talking cricket with senior pros like Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh has also helped Kaul a great deal 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 a slightest input during match situations can improve you as a bowlerWhenever they have been around I have only gained as a player Its not like they would coach you but just give you subtle hints about what to do in specific situations He has been a part of several India A tours to places like Australia and South Africa What also pushed his case was 13 wickets from five List A gamesPlaying for India A or the IPL is top level cricket and it always gives you that confidence that you can belong to a certain level What helped me was my interactions with Rahul Dravid Rahul sir would always tell me that self belief is key for any player At this level it is about doing small things right on a consistent basis Thats what I did when I was playing against New Zealand A or South Africa A He was initially a late 120 kmph bowler but has of late managed to increase the pace clocking over 130kmph at times I would give a lot of credit to our Punjab team trainer Sagar Diwan Training with him has improved my fitness and stamina and has also helped in increasing my pace I am also able to move the ball both ways consistentlyHis coach has always been his father Dr Tej Kaul who incidentally was associated with the Indian team as a trainer in the late 80s and early 90s A few years ago a picture of a toddler Kaul sitting with a young Sachin Tendulkar during an Indian teams practice session in the early 90s became famous Kauls elder brother Uday has also been a former India U19 player who had toured with the team to England in 2006 a team that had both Kohli and Ishant SharmaUday also plays for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy as a wicketkeeper and toporder batsman He has played 93 firstclass games scoring over 6000 runs When your brother is a wicketkeeper you get firsthand input about how the ball is releasing out of your hand Kaul concluded