Yuzvendra Chahal Credits Seniors For His, Kuldeep Yadav's Good Recent Form

Yuzvendra Chahal speaking about his partnership with fellow Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav, said that the suggestions and leadership provided by the senior members of the Indian team have proven to be fruitful, with the pair having accounted for 103 wickets in 28 ODIs when they have played together for India. "Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) has helped a lot. He tells us how a wicket will play and so it helps us figure things out quickly instead of wasting overs on trying to understand the wicket. So that has been a big plus point for both me and Kuldeep (Yadav)," Yuzvendra Chahal told IANS.

Chahal added, "Apart from him, Virat (Kohli) and Rohit (Sharma) also always look to help us out. I think in our team every person is their own captain and we all respect each other. So for me and Kuldeep, it was great that we came into a dressing room that had these experienced players who were ready to back us up."

The performance of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal in the 3rd ODI against South Africa in February 2018, where both spinners took four wickets each, led to captain Virat Kohli earmarking them to be India's "X-factor" in the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales.

Chahal said that he hasn't brought about too many changes in his bowling technique during away tours.

He says, "I am doing exactly what I have always been doing for the past few years. I have not brought many changes to my game. The variations are the same, but I am a bit more mature in mixing them up now."

With England being the hosts, there was speculation that this could be a pacer's tournament. However, the manner in which England's batsmen thwarted Pakistan in the recent ODI series between the two sides indicates that bowlers in general may not have a great time there while former cricketers like Michael Vaughan say that you might find conditions similar to the ones in the subcontinent.

Yuzvendra Chahal, however, prefers to wait and watch.

"Last year it was a spinning wicket. But that was only last year and we will get to know for sure only when we reach there. Once we do, we have got two weeks to prepare," he said.

India will play two warm-up matches prior to the World Cup -- against New Zealand on May 25, and against Bangladesh on May 28. They kick-start their 2019 World Cup campaign against South Africa on June 5.

(With IANS Inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Yuzvendra Chahal Kuldeep Yadav Virat Kohli MS Dhoni Rohit Sharma World Cup 2019 Cricket