Yuzvendra Chahal credits Virat Kohli for infusing confidence in him

Chahal has played under Kohli for the Indian team as well as the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise

What’s the story?

Yuzvendra Chahal is all set to join the India A squad for the tour of South Africa next month. In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, the leg-spinner confessed that his confidence took a hit after the Royal Challengers Bangalore finished at the bottom of the IPL 2017 points table this past season.

“The streak of regular losses in the competition did rankle the RCB team. My confidence as a bowler was shaken too mid-way. Thereafter, Virat paaji and coach Daniel Vettori intervened and infused confidence in me. It really got me going again,” said the 26-year-old.

Chahal impressed one and all with his aggressive bowling in the three ODIs and six T20Is that he played for India in the past year. In spite of that, he was dropped from the squad for the ICC Champions Trophy as well as the West Indies tour. The RCB bowler has chosen to leave that behind though, and is now focusing on his upcoming venture with the India A team.

“The Champions Trophy and West Indies tour are over now, so there is no point in discussing them. There are certain things which are not in anyone’s control. My job is to perform and give my best. I am training hard ahead of the India ‘A’ tour to South Africa. I would aim to play to my potential and do well for the team,” he added.

Also read: BCCI announces India A squad for South Africa tour

In case you didn’t know...

Chahal is probably one of the best leg-spinning options India have in their arsenal right now. In the three ODIs that he has played for his national side, he has picked six wickets with a sensational bowling average of 12.83 at less than 4 runs an over.

His T20 record is just as impressive – 6 matches, 11 wickets at an average of 15.81 and economy of 7.25, with a Man of the Series award against England earlier this year.

The details

The 26-year-old hopes to make a lasting impression with his performances on the South Africa tour

Chahal believes that the true test of a bowler is when he is tasked with bowling on a flat pitch that’s suited for the batsmen. He stated that it is extremely challenging for a spinner to be able to extract turn and bounce on such wickets while varying the deliveries in order to keep the batsmen in check.

However, he also said that he loves the challenge of bowling on such wickets and it invariably brings out the best in him, adding that he hopes to scalp a few wickets in South Africa with his variations. He further stated that he is looking forward to working with Rahul Dravid and hopes that the veteran’s experience will rub off on him as a cricketer.

Talking about Kuldeep Yadav being selected ahead of him for the West Indies tour, Chahal graciously said that Yadav’s special talent and ability to bowl chinaman deliveries make him a champion bowler and that he deserved his berth in the national team.

Also read: Why India should groom Yuzvendra Chahal for the World Cup 2019

What’s next?

The India A team were scheduled to play two four-day matches in South Africa, followed by an ODI tri-series with the hosts and the Australia A team. However, owing to the pay dispute between Cricket Australia and its players, the Australia A squad have pulled out of the limited-overs series.

Hence, while the four-day games will go ahead as planned, the schedule of the now-bilateral ODI series hasn’t been released yet.

Author’s take

Chahal is a gutsy, clever bowler who is turning out to be an asset for Indian cricket. One would hope that he manages to produce brilliant performances for the strong A team, which will in-turn help him claw his way back into the national side.

Dravid’s tutelage has helped cricketers like Hardik Pandya and Karun Nair return to the Indian team, and Chahal would hope that the 44-year-old guides him down the same path as well.

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Edited by Staff Editor