This is an edited version of the article that was first published on ESPNcricinfo Hindi here.
"I was quite frustrated. But Rahul (Dravid) sir and Rohit (Sharma) bhaiya encouraged me. They told me that I have a lot of potential and that I would soon get fit and play for the Indian team again. "
These were the words of encouragement fast bowler Kuldeep Sen has clung to in the two-plus years since he injured his back while training for the second ODI against Bangladesh in December 2022. He made his first-class comeback only in January 2024 before turning out for Rajasthan Royals for three games in IPL 2024. And then he injured his knee. Madhya Pradesh's previous Ranji Trophy match, against Kerala last week, was his first competitive game this season.
"As a fast bowler, you have to be ready for injuries," Sen told ESPNcricinfo. "An injury does not announce itself, there is no timeline for it but I have definitely worked on reducing it. Even when I was recovering from injury, my focus was to come back as soon as possible.
"During this time, I have worked on my lines and lengths according to the longer and shorter format of the game. For a fast bowler, it's important to be mentally strong. During my recovery, I worked on my fitness for the longer format as it makes it easier to prepare for the shorter format."
Sen had performed consistently well in 2022. That year, playing for Rest of India in the first game of the Irani Cup, he picked up eight wickets, which included a five-wicket haul. Sen was also the highest wicket-taker (18) for MP in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022-23.
However, it was his performances in IPL 2022 for Rajasthan Royals that brought him into the limelight. These included defending 14 runs in the last over against Lucknow Super Giants' Marcus Stoinis on IPL debut, and picking four wickets to help Royals defend 144 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
"Everyone was happy with my performance in the Lucknow match. My confidence grew after that game," Sen said. "But the performance against RCB took my confidence to a different level because in this match, I took the wickets of the players whom I used to watch on TV. "
Where Sen comes from, Rewa, a city in MP, dreams and struggles often go hand-in-hand. The journey is all the more challenging with few facilities and resources to fuel dreams.
"I started playing cricket at the age of 13-14. I didn't think of becoming a cricketer then, it was just fun to play the game," Sen said. "There was no TV at home and when matches came on Doordarshan, there was an option to go and watch TV in the neighbourhood.
"One day, in Rewa itself, I had gone to watch cricket with my friends in the stadium. I was watching the match from a distance and continuously fetching the ball from the boundary line and throwing it back. That is when Aril Antony sir's (Sen's coach) noticed me and he asked - 'Will you play cricket?' That's where my journey began."
Sen's father runs a hair salon in Rewa, and money was always tight. Sen credits his coach Antony for helping him out during the tough times.
"The financial condition of the family was not good, but Antony sir helped me a lot. Many times, he did not even take fees from me, many times he provided shoes if needed," Sen said. "I started playing by borrowing a cricket kit from my friends. For a long time, even in domestic cricket, I played wearing borrowed shoes from Ishwar (Pandey) bhaiya.
"My mother supported me a lot at home, but my father initially wanted me to focus on studies. But when I started playing first-class cricket, my father was convinced and now I am able to help my family financially."
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Sen played six games in IPL 2023, but after IPL 2024 came the knee injury, which he picked up during the Madhya Pradesh Premier League. He spent a long time at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, missing the whole domestic season up until last week. When the IPL comes around again, he will have another chance to grab the limelight, this time with the team that gave him his first trial - Punjab Kings.
"I went unsold three times in the IPL auction. I first trialled for Kings XI Punjab in 2018 (the same year Sen made his first-class debut). The next year, when I gave the Mumbai Indians trial, I saw Sachin (Tendulkar) sir and Zaheer (Khan) sir for the first time.
"In 2020-21, I had done well in the domestic circuit but I got a side strain and couldn't go despite getting a trial call from KKR and Royals. In 2022, I trialled for Royals again, after which Kumar Sangakkara discussed a few things with me. When the auction happened, I had assumed that I would not find a buyer this time too, but Sangakkara talking to me had kindled a mild hope in me."
Overall Sen has 14 IPL wickets in 12 matches. Despite reasonably consistent performances, he hasn't found a way to be a regular in playing XIs. He says the Impact Player rule has made getting regular caps even harder for him. But there's one thing he's working on that could fix that: Sen now bowls at speeds north of 140kph. He credits his coach Anthony for this as well.
"When I played my first Ranji season, my speed was around 135-140," he says. "The main reason for this was my semi-side-on action and because of this I also got injured many times. My ankle was also falling to the side. But Antony sir helped me a lot."
Sen says that red-ball cricket remains his priority, but he does enjoy the challenges of the T20 format too.
"My priority is red-ball cricket but the shorter format also has its own importance and challenges," Sen says. "As a red-ball bowler, you have time to think about executing your strategy but it's a real test of your patience, whereas in T20, you don't have time to think and you have to be ready to change your strategy constantly."
Sen picked three wickets in MP's last outing, against Kerala. Now injury-free, he wants to take it one game at a time and not think too far ahead, especially about adding to his one international cap.
"At the moment, I'm just focused on performing. If I perform, the roads will open automatically. If I think too much, the pressure will increase on me. So, my focus is only on how to win a match for my team."