IPL 2021: “Even he struggles against my bowling at times” – Rahul Chahar explains Rohit Sharma's advice

On Tuesday, Rahul Chahar bowled Mumbai Indians (MI) to one of their most remarkable victories. After the 10-run win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the leg-spinner revealed that even Rohit Sharma often finds it difficult to pick him in the nets.

Chasing 153 for the win, KKR were cruising at 104 for 2 in the 13th over. The equation came down to 31 off the final five overs with Shakib Al Hasan and Andre Russell at the crease. Krunal Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Trent Boult bowled brilliantly at the death to win it for Mumbai.

Before that, Rahul Chahar sent back the top four KKR batters (Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, and Eoin Morgan) and registered figures of 4-0-27-4 that won him the Player of the Match award.

When asked what Rohit Sharma advised him, Rahul Chahar told the press:

“He (Rohit Sharma) didn’t say much. He always tells me that bowl with full confidence as you are a very good bowler. He tells me that he sometimes struggles to pick some balls when he bats against me in the nets. He asked to keep the focus and try to turn the ball. I knew that in this match, if someone had to turn things around then, it had to be a spinner. I had the confidence in myself.”

Disappointing performance. to say the least @KKRiders apologies to all the fans!

— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 13, 2021

Attacking field settings by Rohit Sharma reflects our confidence: Rahul Chahar

Rahul Chahar further revealed that MI skipper Rohit Sharma doesn’t shy away from setting attacking fields, which only reflects the confidence the defending champions have.

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Despite defending a low total and starting on the wrong foot, Mumbai employed attacking fields and hunted for wickets against a Kolkata line-up that bats very deep.

“Yes, we get a psychological upper hand. (Rohit Sharma employed a slip and close-in fielder to Andre Russell). Even when I was bowling to Rahul Tripathi, we had 2 covers and a slip. Even for Eoin Morgan, we had a slip and a leg slip. It shows we are attacking and confident."

Champions never give up 💪 A fight back to remember 💥 pic.twitter.com/yOSwWB7HRB

— Krunal Pandya (@krunalpandya24) April 13, 2021

Mumbai Indians, who have now bagged their first win in the IPL 2021, will play their third match of the tournament against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on Saturday.