Variations Remain Same, But I Am Wiser Now: Yuzvendra Chahal

New Delhi: March 26, 2015, was the fateful day when India's challenge in the World Cup ended with a 95-run defeat at the hands of Australia in Sydney. Almost 15 months later, on June 11, 2016, a young leg-spinner from Haryana made his ODI debut for India in Zimbabwe. The debut spell ended with a wicket in his last over and that was how it all started for Indias numero uno leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.

While the first outing might not have been the most impressive one, Chahal stamped his class in a T20I game against England when he finished with figures of 6/25 - the best for the Men in Blue in the shortest format of the game. Apart from the wickets that he picked, that game bore testimony to the fact that he was no one-match wonder. And as India gear up for the challenge of lifting the coveted World Cup trophy in England and Wales, Chahal’s role will be of umpteen importance.

Speaking to IANS, Chahal said that his partnership with wrist spin partner Kuldeep Yadav has more to it than their own abilities with the ball. So, there is definitely more to it than just hitting the bowling crease for the duo which has impressed all with their performances in series wins in South Africa and Australia in recent times. And that is the help and guidance of the senior members of the team.

“Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) has helped a lot. He tells us how a wicket will play and so it helps us figure things out quickly instead of wasting overs on trying to understand the wicket. So that has been a big plus point for both me and Kuldeep,” Yuzvendra Chahal said.

Stump mic recordings of the former captain telling Kuldeep and Chahal which areas to bowl in have gone viral multiple times in the past two years. But Chahal says it is not just Dhoni.

“Apart from him, Virat (Kohli) and Rohit (Sharma) also always look to help us out. I think in our team every person is their own captain and we all respect each other. So for me and Kuldeep, it was great that we came into a dressing room that had these experienced players who were ready to back us up,” Yuzvendra Chahal.

However, the pair have hardly needed any backing since their respective breakthroughs. Chahal had made his debut before Kuldeep and so it is worth noting that since then, the pair have accounted for 159 wickets in just under 45 matches. Their performance in the third ODI against South Africa in February 2018 had led to captain Kohli earmarking them to be India’s “X-factor” in the World Cup. IANS

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