Yuzvendra Chahal Attributes Successful Stint At Royal Challengers Bangalore To Virat Kohli

Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has expressed his desire to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) throughout his cricketing life. Chahal made his debut for RCB in 2014 and over the years has donned the role of key spin bowler for the Virat Kohli-led side. He attributed his success at RCB to captain Virat Kohli. Chahal picked 23 wickets in 2015 and 21 wickets in the following season. He has picked 49 IPL wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and has been Kohli's go-to bowler. The 28-year-old has taken 14 wickets in the ongoing IPL 2019.

"Obviously you feel good, you get more confidence when your captain (Virat Kohli) backs you and your team management gets behind you. You always want to go for wickets, nothing happens if you go for runs as the captain is constantly looking for wickets, so it is a great feeling for me," Chahal told ANI.

It is safe to say that Chahal made a foray into the Indian national team after his tremendous performances in the IPL. The bowler believes that RCB has really been special to him and he hopes to play for the team throughout his life.

"It's like a family to me, when I came here in 2014 I never thought that I'll play for this franchise. I really enjoy when I come to Bengaluru and I only want to play for RCB in the IPL throughout my life," Chahal said.

RCB has always been one team in the IPL with strong home support. After Chennai Super Kings, RCB sees the most loyal fan base. Chahal believes that the crowd in Bengaluru comes out in big numbers to support them which is fantastic, but he tries to tune out the noise and just focus on his bowling.

"When you play at Chinnaswamy Stadium, it is very loud and the crowd is always supporting you. But whenever I bowl I just try to focus on my game and my situation like where to bowl, so I am used to it now and it is nothing new for me," Chahal added.

Chahal also said that is an honour to play with both Kohli and AB de Villiers. The player also opined that playing such a quality tournament like IPL before the World Cup will help him get ready for the upcoming 50-over mega tournament.

"They are two legends: One is a number one batsman (Kohli) and the other has retired but he is a 360-degree player (De Villiers) so it is a privilege to play alongside them," Chahal said.

(With ANI inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

Yuzvendra Chahal Virat Kohli Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL 2019 Cricket