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Cricket PlayersInd vs WI: Be it MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, they have all backed youngsters - Yuzvendra Chahal
Having played under three different captains now — MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma — Chahal feels that they have all ensured that youngsters feel at home in the dressing room.
Ravindra Jadeja’s comeback into the India ODI squad was almost by chance. If not for injuries to Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel during the Asia Cup, the 29-year-old would have been playing domestic List-A cricket for Saurashtra.
He flew in to Dubai a day ahead of the Super-Four game against Bangladesh. Next day, he marked his comeback to ODIs after more than year with a four-wicket haul and a Player of the Match prize. Jadeja went on to pick three wickets against Afghanistan, scored a crucial 23 in the Asia Cup final against Bangladesh and notched his maiden Test century in the recently concluded series against West Indies.
Jadeja’s resurgence has suddenly given a fresh look to the ODI squad that has witnessed a dominance of wrist-spinning duo Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal since the 2017 Champions Trophy. In fact, it was the youngsters’ rise that saw Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin lose their place in the limited-overs squads in the first place.
With Jadeja back in the scheme of things, the competition for the spinner’s slot has increased. However, Chahal feels Jadeja has given the ODI team a better balance.
“He has played close to 150 ODIs and his experience can’t be doubted. The Asia Cup was the first time I played with him and I would often go to him to clarify any doubts. He always has a positive vibe and his comeback has given a balance to the team,” Chahal said in an interview ahead of the ODI series against West Indies.
The 28-year-old spinner added that it was this experience that helped India dig deep in pressure situations during the Asia Cup. “Though we were without Virat bhai, our Asia Cup squad did not lack experience. Almost all the players had played at least 20-25 ODIs. It helped us in pressure situations especially during that tense chase against Bangladesh in the final. First, Ravindra Jadeja played well in the middle order, and then in the last over Kedar Jadhav kept his cool to take us through,” Chahal said.
“Everybody who got chance did well and that is a positive sign for the Indian team.”
While Hardik Pandya has been pushed for the all-rounder’s slot in the past one year, Jadeja’s inclusion has given India a spin bowling all-rounder option as well. In the first ODI against West Indies in Guwahati, he got the wickets of centurion Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell.
Prep for Australia
Though West Indies is no longer a side that inspires awe, Chahal feels a good performance against them would be a confidence booster ahead of the Australia tour, starting with a T20 on November 21.
“I agree that some of West Indies’ top players are not in the team but that’s no reason for us to take them lightly. Most of them have over 25 ODIs. I don’t bowl keeping in mind that I have a lesser-known batsman in front of me, I bowl according to a plan. I see them as any other rival like England or Australia,” said Chahal, who was India’s top wicket-taker in the first ODI in Guwahati with three scalps.
“If we give a dominating performance against West Indies, it will only add to our confidence in the Australia tour.”
Chahal is confident that Australia series may bear a good result for the India team. “If Steve Smith and David Warner were playing then it would have been different. They are legends. Australia have not won an ODI series in more than year. In Tests also they lost to Pakistan and South Africa recently. India will be favourites against them,” he said.
Having played under three different captains now — MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma — Chahal feels that they have a common factor. “While each one has their own style, the one common factor is that they don’t let the youngsters panic. They give us freedom to set our field and are very approachable,” he said.
