Yuzvendra Chahal recalls how Rohit Sharma gave him a place in the Mumbai Indians playing XI

Several current cricketers have made it to their respective national teams after impressing with their performances in the Indian Premier League, such as leg-spin bowler Yuzvendra Chahal.

Yuzvendra Chahal joined the Mumbai Indians camp at the start of his IPL career, but served drinks in most of the initial games due to the presence of other veteran players in the squad.

Recalling his stint with Mumbai Indians, Yuzvendra Chahal revealed that he was under pressure before bowling his first over in the Champions League T20.

"When I joined MI, there were three spinners including me. During the Champions League T-20 that year, only 13 players from our squad were available. Rest were injured. So I had a feeling that I would get to play and so I did," Chahal told ESPNcricinfo.

He also said that he got to learn a lot from players like Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha in the nets.

"There was a bit of pressure at the start at but I was fine once I bowled my first over. That's when I realized that T20 format is more of a mind game. If you are a professional cricketer, pressure won't bother you. Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha were very helpful. I learnt a lot by bowling with them in the nets and staying around the team."

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Yuzvendra Chahal on Rohit Sharma

Yuzvendra Chahal made his IPL debut in 2013 when Rohit Sharma was the captain. It was Rohit who trusted Chahal and gave him the opportunity to bowl in a squad which already had established spin bowlers.

"After Rohit became the captain of MI he came and told me that I am playing the coming game. I told him that there were already two senior spinners in the team. To which he said, ‘I'm the captain now, and you are playing.' He had faith in me because of my performance in the Champions League T20, and he was keen to play me at any opportunity."

Since 2014, Chahal has been with the Royal Challengers Bangalore.