Kuldeep Yadav is at the top of his game and he isn't even 30 yet but the road to becoming India's second-best spinner after Ravichandran Ashwin wasn't easy.

After taking the world by storm by becoming the only India bowler with multiple hat-tricks, Kuldeep had to endure the lowest of lows. He did not play a Test for India in over two years despite taking a five-wicket-haul against Australia in Sydney, and once Kuldeep injured his knee during IPL 2021 - where he did not feature in a single game for Kolkata Knight Riders - the world around him crumbled.

Bharat Arun, who was India's bowling coach back in the day, recalled a fascinating exchange that took place between Kuldeep and former head coach Ravi Shastri around about the same time, that perfectly summed up Kuldeep's fortunes. "Boss, this puppy fat you have na has to be melted away. I can't think of a single reason with improved fitness that you won't become a world-class Test bowler," Arun's memory harks back to Shastri's words in a chat with The Indian Express.