Follow UsIt is certainly not easy being Yuzvendra Chahal. Despite an excellent show in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, Kuldeep Yadav was preferred over him in the One-Day International (ODI) against West Indies, but when he got an opportunity in the T20 Internationals (T20I), he made an instant impact, picking up two quick wickets.
This tour has all been about experimenting, so Chahal has perhaps borne the brunt of it to a certain extent. However, he is not too flustered about his lack of opportunities of late, as e believes that the XI is picked based on the team combination and according to the conditions.
“I am very happy that I get the opportunity to wear the blue jersey everyday,” Chahal said in a press conference ahead of the second T20I against West Indies in Guyana.
“I am with the team now, travel with the team and do net sessions with them, and not at home. It is not an individual game. I have also played chess - that's an individual game, but this is a team game.
“When 15 players walk together, only then you win matches. Only 11 can play out of these. I haven't played in 2-3 series. Before that, I played against England, West Indies...Kuldeep did not play then. It comes down to team combination, who you are playing against, where you are playing. If it's a turning wicket, we will play three spinners. We don't have a rule that says we have to play only one or two spinners.”
Nicholas Pooran is one batter from the opposition who is a massive threat to India. Four of his nine T20I fifties have come against India, he strikes at over 131 against them and has also hit the most sixes (26) against them.
Chahal has not had the best of times against Pooran in T20 cricket. Pooran has faced 50 deliveries from the leg-spinner and has been dismissed just once.
Speaking of his battle with Pooran, Chahal said, I have played against him for a long time. I have dismissed him, and he has also hit sixes against me. I love the battle. We aren't playing club cricket here. Everybody is here because they have performed. I enjoy it. I know if you give him loose deliveries, he will hit you out of the park. I try not to provide him with easy deliveries and make him struggle to hit boundaries.”
Chahal further adds there is not much of a difference between the way Hardik Pandya leads the team compared to his predecessors like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma or even MS Dhoni. He believes the key is giving bowlers the freedom they need.
I believe we have four brothers in the family - the eldest is Mahi bhai [MS Dhoni], then came Virat, then Rohit and now Hardik. The equation is the same,” Chahal, India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is, said.
“On the ground, everyone wants to help the team win. Hardik gives us the freedom just like the previous captains did - to set the field however you want. Hardik himself is a go-to bowler, but when a plan does not work, he gives us his input.
“So, there aren't many changes. There's not much difference between now and when Rohit and Kohli were captains. As a bowler, you need some freedom, which we get.”
After falling short in the first T20I in Trinidad, India will lock horns with West Indies at the Providence Stadium, Guyana, for the next two games before the action moves to the US for the remainder of the series.