“Thak raha hai kya?” - Kuldeep Yadav reveals reason behind Rohit Sharma’s stump-mic chat ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Team India spinner Kuldeep Yadav shed light on the strain his remodeled action put on his body, resulting in frequent check-ins on the field by skipper Rohit Sharma, especially during long spells. The left-arm bowler made a massive change to his run-up, considerably cutting the angle, after a barrage of injuries at a critical phase of his career.

His knee surgery in 2021, which ruled him out of the second half of the rescheduled Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign, was a huge blow to his body. The spinner outlined how difficult it was for him to find rhythm, and bowl even short spells without any strain.

Whether it be discussions for a review or misfields, Rohit Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav are always in the thick of things when it comes to stump mic conversations. The veteran skipper has reprimanded the spinner on many occasions, and at the same time, his bowling has also been appreciated.

Kuldeep noted Rohit Sharma enquired about his fitness and fatigue consistently, and how those comments were caught on the stump mic.

"You must have heard a lot of times in the match, Rohit bhai would keep asking me – Thak raha hai kya (Hope you are not tired)? Now, luckily, I have started putting in long spells of 8-9 overs. I have also put in 10-12 overs in Tests. It took me 3 years to get that energy to bowl a long spell," Kuldeep Yadav said in an interview with The Indian Express.

Kuldeep Yadav has gone from strength to strength since then, with workload not proving to be an issue. He bowled 114.1 overs in the home series against England in 2024, before playing the entirety of the IPL, the T20 World Cup, and the home season. He, however, struggled with a hernia injury towards the end of the year, causing him to miss out on the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series.

"When a doctor tells you something, you need to take it seriously" - Kuldeep Yadav on his knee injury in 2021

The spinner's serious knee injury in 2021, which occurred during a fielding training session, resulted in surgery in Mumbai. He returned to action during the home season in early 2022, before having a statement IPL season for his new franchise, the Delhi Capitals.

Kuldeep recalled how his old action was causing too much strain on his body, and he proceeded to alter it on the advise of the head physiotherapist at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) (now renamed to Centre of Excellence) in Bengaluru.

"When a doctor tells you something, you need to take it seriously. When I had knee surgery Ashish Kaushik told me ‘KD you have bowled so much over the years that your front foot has taken too much load. Because of twisting and turning there could be a problem for you going ahead’. I didn’t give it too much thought initially but things that doctors say stay in your mind," he recalled. Coming in sideways, it was very difficult for me to get balance. Initially there were a number of problems. To flip your old action is very difficult. It took about a month and a half to get the rhythm. I need so much energy to bowl with the altered action, I couldn’t bowl more than 4 to 5 overs. The run-up was fast and my approach was aggressive. Even 4 overs in T20 was difficult," the spinner concluded.

The remodeled action, which is much straighter than the previous one, not only eases the strain, but also helps him to bowl with a much higher pace. The spinner could be in contention for the second Test against England in Edgbaston, Birmingham, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, July 2.

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Edited by Gokul Nair