Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was going through a lean patch in early 2021 when he was unable to take wickets. The same was on display during the Indian Premier League 2021 where he failed to trouble the batsmen. However, he has turned things around in a fine fashion with a good series in Sri Lanka.
Chahal picked up five wickets in two One-Day Internationals that he played against Sri Lanka. He was the top wicket-taker during the ODI series followed by Deepak Chahar who had four scalps to his name.
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Talking about his mindset, Chahal mentioned he always focus on giving the best performance.
“Definitely, when the bench strength is so good, we have a pool of 30 players. Everyone is doing well; my focus is just on performing well. If you perform well, you stay in the team and if you aren’t, then you cannot stay in the team. I do not look at what others are doing, my focus is on giving good performances,” said Chahal during the virtual post-match press conference.
Chahal registered the figures of 1/19 in his four overs during the first T20I, which India won by 38 runs.
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“When I was not playing, I was working with my bowling coach and I was working on my craft. Even during the lockdown, I was looking at where I should be bowling. I backed myself before coming on this tour. We knew we were 10-15 runs short, but that is okay. Whatever the score is, we have to defend that. My job is to control the middle overs and I was very happy that I did it. I always back myself,” he added.
Varun Chakravarthy made his international debut during the first T20I. Chahal was seen talking with the debutant during the game.
When asked about his conversation with Chakravarthy, Chahal replied, “We talked before the match, I told him just to bowl how you do normally. I know the pressure can be there in the first match, it always stays there. I suggested to keep bowling the way he does, nothing changes whether you are playing international cricket or IPL.”
