Siddharth Kaul: I never lost hope of India call-up all these years

Without ever losing hope Siddharth Kaul hopped from one venue to another all these years in the domestic circuit till in a manner most unusual he receivedthe news of his maiden India callup from the onfield umpires during a Ranji Trophy match Punjab was bowling against Services in Amritsar today when match referee Sunil Chaturvedi sent in a message through umpires Vineet Kulkarni and K Srinath for Kaul 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 biggestpiece of news in my cricketing career and I got it on field Kaul told PTI during an interactionSiddharth Kaul PicAFPThe 27yearold 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 Kohli has since gone onto become one of Indias greatest batsmen Ravindra Jadeja has been an established name from that squad while the likes of Saurabh Tiwary and Abhinav Mukund have made sporadic national team appearances But Kaul never lost hope all these years as he plied 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 matchesI was always hopeful that if I keep 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 helped Kaul a great deal Yuvi paaji and Bhajju paa are inspirations for all of usin the Punjab team They have played so much of international cricket that even a slightest input during match situations can improve you as a bowler Whenever 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 a number India A tours to places like Australia and South Africa and it also pushed his case as he got 13 wickets from five List A gamesPlaying for India A or 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 in late 130kmp at timesI 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 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 toddler Siddharth sitting with a young Sachin Tendulkar during an Indian teams practice session in the early 90s became famousKauls elder brother Uday has also been a former India U19 player who had toured with India U19s 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 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 firstclass cricketer and a wicketkeeper When your brother is a wicketkeeper you get firsthand input about how the ball is releasing out of your hand Kaul concluded