Left-arm spinner Kuldeep today became only the third Indian to take a hat-trick as the hosts demolished Australia by 50 runs here.
"Not really," replied Kuldeep when asked if he had ever thought of taking a hat-trick.
"This is special for me, it changed the game for us. It was a really proud moment," he added.
He said initially he was struggling to bowl in a particular area.
"Initially I was struggling to bowl in a particular area. It's a game of cricket, everything happens. Last match, where I was hit for three sixes in an over, was a learning experience. I asked Mahi bhai (M S Dhoni) what I should bowl, he said 'tujhe jaisa lagta hai wo daal (you bowl what you want)'," said the 22-year-old Uttar Pradesh player.
"We did not feel like we had enough at the break. But we knew if we had a good start we have a good chance of defending it. We knew if we don't take wickets it would be difficult. To be honest, the wicket was not easy to bat on throughout the day," he said.
Praised his bowlers, Kohli said, "Bhuvi's (Bhuvneshwar Kumar's) spell became even more important because we knew the wrist-spinners would do damage in the middle. The deliveries he got the batsmen out with were unplayable. You can count on Bhuvi for getting the breakthroughs.
Talking about himself, Kohli said, "I always try to create that kind of motivation for myself. Sometimes things don't come off for you but I try and stay in the same zone.
"It was not easy to bat, plus the bowling attack was quality as well. Came off today, so it looked nice. Did not come off in Chennai, so it did not look nice."
"We were pretty happy with 250, we thought we pulled things back pretty well (n India innings). To reduce India to 250 on that was pretty good. Did a really good job there," he said.
"Batters though made poor decisions, and you can't do that against a quality team like India. One of the top four needs to go on and make a hundred, just making poor decisions under pressure. We need to get those partnerships. if we do that then we should chase these totals down comfortably.
"(Marcus) Stoinis was good at the end there, just needed someone to bat with."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
