Yuzvendra Chahal has been one of India’s most successful spinners in recent years, and his form in the IPL has been exemplary. He has also been regular member of the Indian team in limited-overs cricket but of late has failed to find a regular spot in the side.
With Asia Cup and World Cup to be the next, Chahal is not worried about whether he will get picked or not.
‘Team combimation is our top priority’: Yuzvendra Chahal on not able to play alongside Kuldeep Yadav
“At present I need to perform well in the four matches. I think about one step at a time. After this series we’ll have a camp and then the team will be announced. I am not thinking about Asia Cup or World Cup now,” says Chahal.
The 33-year-old spinner, who didn’t get a single match in the three-match ODI series but the bounced back in the T20Is by picking two crucial wickets.
“Team combination is our priority and it is not something new,” Chahal told reporters ahead of the second T20Is.
“At 7 we generally play Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel. Three spinners can only play if the wickets are spin friendly. Kuldeep is bowling really well, he is in a great rhythm and that’s why team is backing him. I keep working on nets so that whenever I get the chance I will grab it,” he added.
Chahal says not able to get regular matches doesn’t bother him much as cricket is not an individual sport.
“We are professional cricketers. I was playing after two months, last I played was in the IPL. It is all about the preparation. This is not an individual sport, you are playing here for your team. There are times when players has to sit out for two series, so it doesn’t mean that they are not part of the team,” he said.
“I am very happy that I am getting to wear the blue jersey everyday. I am not sitting at home. I am travelling with the team. I am part of the team.
“I have played chess, it is an individual game but cricket is a team sport. Out of fifteen people in the squad only eleven can play. In the past few series, when I was playing Kuldeep was not getting the chances,” he added.
After losing the first match closely by four runs, Chahal is confident that they will bounce back and one loss doesn’t change anything.
“We still got four matches to play. I think we must also give credit to West Indies becasue they played better cricket. We always think that oh you are playing against West Indies, you are going to win 5-0. It’s not true. It is all about who perform better on the given day,” he said.
“We lost by four runs but we played good cricket. We will bounce back in the second match. Last time when I was here on 2019, it was washed out. I have watched a couple of CPL matches but that’s completely different. We will look at the wicket and how it’s going to play.”
Chahal also admitted that he relishes his battle with Nicholas Pooran be it in the IPL or the international cricket.
“I love the battle against Nicholas Pooran. I have got his out few times, he has hit me for sixes. I try not give him a freebies or I know he will hit it out of the park,” he said.
Chahal who played under the leadership of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma also lauded captaincy of Hardik Pandya.
“It’s like a family where you have four brothers. Mahi bhai was the eldest, then came Virat bhaiya, then Rohit bhaiya and now Hardik. Equations remains the same. At the ground we all wants to win. They give us freedom as a bowler and Hardik gives that space to the bowlers. There has not been a drastic changes,” he said.
Chahal, who has been an IPL legend himself says the tournament gives you a platform and we have seen that in Tilak Varma’s case how fearless he was in the first T20I.
“IPL gives you that atmosphere because it is crowded, you are rubbing shoulders with the international cricketers and when you are performing at that stage, it gives you a boost up. After playing and doing well in the IPL, it is only about how you execute the plan in the international game,” he said.
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