Chat with Virat Kohli about bowling attacking lines helped: Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal was one of the main reasons behind the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 10-run victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai. Devdutt Padikkal and AB de Villiers did score half-centuries, but it Chahal, who jolted David Warner and Co with some timely blows. SRH had played out 17 deliveries without giving the leg-spinner a wicket, but things changed from there on.

In the next seven balls, Chahal picked up three wickets. He ended with a spell of 4-0-18-3 and was adjudged as the Player of the Match. In the 16th over, he also found himself on the verge of a hat-trick after getting rid of Jonny Bairstow and Vijay Shankar. Looking back, the 30-year-old Chahal reckoned that it was a make-or-break over for the Challengers.

My aim was to go for wickets: Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal also said that he started bowling attacking lines after having a chat with Virat Kohli, the RCB skipper. “I felt very good, it was a very important over. I was thinking, this over could either go for runs or go in our favour,”  Chahal was quoted as saying to iplt20.com.

“My aim was to go for wickets, there was a defensive field but the chat with Kohli was about bowling attacking…as only if we took wickets, the complexion of the match would change. With the ball turning (first ball), I kept the line on leg-stump because it is difficult to hit from there.

“When Vijay Shankar came, the chat with AB and Virat was about bowling the googly… something that I was practising in the nets. It is difficult for a new batsman to read,” he added. Shankar couldn’t even open his account after misreading Chahal’s googly.

Apart from Bairstow and Shankar, Chahal also pinned Manish Pandey. He broke an ominous-looking 71-run stand between Pandey and Bairstow to bring RCB back into the game.

Chahal also drew praises from Kohli. “Yuzi came in and changed the game for us. Tonight, he showed that if you have skill, you can get purchase on any wicket,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

Coming into the game, Chahal already had 100 wickets to his name, showing how much effective he has been for RCB in the cash-rich league.