Kuldeep Yadav News: Before the India-Afghanistan Test, Kuldeep Yadav said that it is the responsibility of the senior players to make the new players feel comfortable.

The responsibility of a senior player in any team is greater and left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav understands this well, but instead of becoming a traditional mentor, he is seen as a 'colleague' of  young players Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey ahead of the only Test match against Afghanistan.

The 31-year-old wants to ensure that new players feel comfortable in the team and seek advice when needed. The Test match against Afghanistan begins on Saturday. Kuldeep told PTI, "Whenever a new player comes into the team, your job is to make him feel comfortable. We want him to see you as a partner. We need to create an environment for him where he doesn't hesitate to talk to you if he has any problems. You should be ready to help him."

In this interview conducted in collaboration with JioHotstar, Kuldeep said, "Two or three young players have joined the team now and it's great to have their support." Kuldeep said that the best way to help new players integrate into the team is to ask them relevant questions and understand their understanding of the game.

He said, "We as a team have open discussions, especially about the conditions. I ask the young players questions about pitch understanding, weather conditions and the match." The bowler, who has taken 365 wickets for India across all three formats so far, added, "Our discussions mostly focus on strategy, bowling length, ball speed on a particular pitch and the patience of spinners in Test cricket. Patience is very important in Test cricket."

If Kuldeep plays in the one-off match against Afghanistan starting on Saturday, for the first time in his career, he will be without Ravichandran Ashwin (retired) or Ravindra Jadeja (rested).

Kuldeep acknowledged that Jadeja and even Axar Patel will be missed in this match, but expressed confidence that Suthar and Dubey will rise to the occasion. He said, "Jaddu bhai (Ravindra Jadeja) is not in the team. He is a regular Test player. We will also miss Axar Patel in the Test match. But our preparations are going well."

Kuldeep said, "The team has some young players like Harsh and Manav. Washington Sundar is also playing Test cricket regularly. Dubey and Manav have been part of India A. They have played in the Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy, apart from the Ranji Trophy." He said, "They have less experience playing at the international level, but when it comes to preparation, match understanding, or red-ball cricket, they are in a very good position because they are playing regularly in this format."