Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar on Monday picked the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s leading wicket-taker Yuzvendra Chahal as the best youngster from the recently concluded IPL. He termed the young leg-spinner as the best in terms of talent and temperament when compared with his other counterparts.
“I am considering those who have a temperament and not just talent. Yuzvendra Chahal, Rishabh Pant and Krunal Pandya are the top three. I will pick the 25-year-old Chahal at the top as he has got the right temperament,” Gavaskar said.
25-year-old Chahal bagged 21 wickets from 13 matches at an impressive average of 19.09 and finished as the second highest wicket-taker of this season’s IPL. He missed out on the Purple Cap by two wickets which was handed out to Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar who took 23 wickets from 17 games.
The Little Master added, “He (Chahal) is not afraid of tossing up the ball and he kept on doing that. When there is some turn on the pitch, there have to be big edges from the batsmen’s bat. Chahal also has a big heart and he is not afraid of a big hit.”
“On many occasions, he came back after being hit for sixes to claim wickets,” he told NDTV.
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Talking about the other two youngsters, Delhi Daredevils’ Rishabh Pant and Mumbai Indians’ Krunal Pandya, the legendary right-handed batsman said, “They have also done well in the tournament though they need some improvement. But Chahal is my top pick as he has been the most consistent.”
The 18-year-old DD batsman, Pant scored 198 runs in 10 matches while the 25-year-old MI all-rounder, Krunal Pandya hit 237 runs in 12 matches whilst also claiming six wickets in the tournament.
The former Indian opener also included Chahal in his ‘team of the IPL 9’ along with the Indian cricket stalwarts Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The captain of the victorious side, David Warner and the Rising Pune Supergiants’ Ajinkya Rahane were Gavaskar’s choice as openers. They were followed by the leading run-scorer of the tournament Virat Kohli and his blistering team-mate AB de Villiers at the crucial three and four spots.
The Mumbaikar also included the Kolkata Knight Riders’ Yusuf Pathan for the number five position and India’s limited over captain, MS Dhoni as the wicket-keeper.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad‘s impressive bowling trio of Ashish Nehra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mustafizur Rahman were the other inclusion in his team with KKR’s all-rounder Andre Russell rounding up the eleven.
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