The Kauls of Punjab: Siblings of the first-class

Punjab team mates and brothers Uday 21 and Siddharth Kaul 18 have so far played two Ranji ties together and have already made significant contributions.

Punjab team mates and brothers Uday 21 and Siddharth Kaul 18 have so far played two Ranji ties together and have already made significant contributions. Last season Uday, in his third season for Punjab, played a vital role to help the team avoid relegation while medium pacer Siddharth snared a five-for against Orissa, on debut.

And on Tuesday, the brothers shone again to help their team inch closer to the 400 run mark. Even though Uday was unlucky to have missed out on a deserving century, he was happy that his season was beginning with a good score.

8220;I fell short by five runs, but I am not complaining. Rather, I am happy that I have started the season with a good score,8221; Uday said about his knock.

The Kaul brothers added brisk 42 runs for the ninth wicket with Siddharth finishing off with an unbeaten 34, his highest first class score till now.

8220;I may be a bowler but I have to contribute with the bat every now and then,8221; Siddharth added.

Ironically, Uday credits ICL for his consistency. 8220;Before the ICL exodus, I was batting lower down the order. When a lot of senior players left, I got promoted. Batting higher up has made me a better player,8221; he said.

Siddharth, with only two first class games against his name, already has adjusted mentally for the long haul.

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8220;I have realised that I have to be patient as a bowler. I can8217;t complain about the nature of pitches. If I8217;m good I should be able to take wickets even on placid tracks,8221; he said.

Before their Ranji partnership, the Kaul brothers have played four under-22 matches together. So, any talk of rivalry or awkwardness in sharing the dressing room is not a problem for them.

8220;We are team mates here and brothers at home. And there8217;s no rivalry between us as our roles are very different. I8217;m a bowler and he Uday is the keeper-batsman for the side, there can8217;t be any comparisons between us,8221; Siddharth quipped, adding, 8220;We keep an eye on each other8217;s performance.8221;

Interestingly, both find talking about cricket all the time, boring.8221;We only talk about the game during team meetings. Once we are done with the match or training, we don8217;t utter a word about this. Life will get boring if we talk about cricket all the time,8221; the Punjab keeper said.