The Indian leg-spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal won the player of the Match award in the first T20I against Ireland and he opined that he enjoyed bowling under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya as the all-rounder gave him the independence he required. Chahal has further revealed the present team atmosphere is chill under Hardik. Hardik Pandya began his first game as India’s captain with a dominating seven-wicket win in a rain-affected opening game of the two-match series against Ireland, on Sunday in Dublin.

Teh game was decided to 12 overs per side due to an early shower, and the hosts managed to reach a score of 108/4 batting first. For India, Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar — two of the veterans in this tour — were the best performers with the ball. While Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded just two runs in the first couple of overs before going for 14 in the final, Chahal bowled brilliantly throughout his spell, returning excellent figures of 3-0-11-1.

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Then, riding on Deepak Hooda’s unbeaten knock of 29-ball 47, India managed to chase down the target in 9.2 overs. Still, Chahal was adjudged the Player of the Match for bowling impressively in a game where the batter dominated with the progression.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Yuzvendra Chahal gave some credit to Hardik Pandya for bringing a chill atmosphere to the team. The 31-year-old also stated that the star all-rounder gave him the freedom to bowl wherever he wanted to, which, he believed, was a key factor in his success.

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Yuzvendra Chahal explained, “It’s very difficult to bowl in the cold, I felt like a finger spinner. But I had to adapt. The atmosphere under Hardik is chill, he gave me the freedom to execute my plans,” Chahal said at the post-match presentation. “I’m wearing three sweaters so am not comfortable (laughing).”