From being an unknown player to becoming the most talk about player in the IPL, Yuzvendra Chahal’s rise has been one of the most remarkable ones. The Haryana leg spinner has impressed purists and critics with his fantastic spells which saw him emerge as the second highest wicket taker. The 25-year-old’s exploits with Royal Challengers Bangalore not only helped him secure a place in India’s team to Zimbabwe but he also also earned rich praises from Sunil Gavaskar who felt that Chahal was the find of the IPL.
‘I think what’s most impressive about Chahal is his ability to bowl well under pressure. We had ample evidence of his fighting abilities if we see the way he has gone about taking the wickets. I think the fact that he is able to adjust himself to the requirements of each match shows the sort of maturity he has in him,” said Kirti Azad, a member of India’s 1983 World Cup winning team.
Another factor which experts feel goes in for Chahal is his ability to change his bowling to suit the requirements of the game. “Let’s not forget that his bowling display in the initiral phase of the IPL was far from impressive. He was conceding too many runs—something which made skipper Virat Kohli rest him. But then he made some adjustments to his bowling—a trait of a thinking bowler which has Impressed me a lot,” said Rajinder Amarnath another India player.
The purists have also been impressed by Chahal’s action. His action is reminiscent of Pak leg spin legend Abdul Qadir. “Everytime he comes into bowl, he reminds me a bit about Qadir. I think even the steps he takes, his delivery stride and his side-on action is so similar to that of Qadir. I hope that Chahal goes on to attain the same greatness that Qadir achieved,” said a former cricketer.
Chahal does a lot of introspection after every match. The fact that he has great composure and mental stamina helps him to perform better. A fellow RCB player recournts how Chahal stayed cool and composed despite being belted for 24 runs in an over by Shakib. Normally any bolwer would have been demoralised at such an onslaught. But Chahal was his normal cool self and went about his business as if nothing had happened. His mental toughness is something to be seen to be believed,” said his RCB colleague.
Finally, Chahal’s ability to out-think and outwit the rival batsmen is seen as a big plus factor for the Haryana lad. “I think that he has shown in this IPL that he not only he bowls well with the variations but also has a very analytical mind. He is constantly reading the batsman’s mind and subsequently manages to out-think. For me it is that facet of Chahal that makes him so dangerous,” said a former India selector.
Meanwhile, former Indian captain and well known commentator, Sunil Gavankar, has picked Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) Yuzvendra Chahal as “best young talent of IPL 2016”.